The Tales of Sand, a SAO fanfic
by Daymian
Summary: Kayaba Akihiko traps 10'000 players in a death game. "DUN DUN DUUN!". However, this is the story of an unknown player. He is risking everything to reunite with his family, he fight his way towards the ultimate goal: Freedom. Follows the OS with familiar player interaction. NOTE: The first chapter is a small introduction. The real plot starts in chapter 2.
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

Hmpf, guess i should contribute to this site too :P Wrote this one evening in lack of other things to do so don't expect a miracle text

Yeah, first fanfic and not much text to brag about. Feels reeeally good..

We'll see where i take it from here so suggestions will be taken into consideration

Anyway, Sand is a teenage male. He's not the most well-known player in the game but he is a vital part in the lead group, maybe no the way you think :P

* * *

"**Players, I welcome you all to my world **

_Woah! That's a big cloak! I wonder who's behind... wait! Did he just claim it to be "His world"?_

**My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world **

**I think that most of you have discovered the fact that the Log Out button has disappeared from the main menu. **

_Sure, so you're going to fix this now? I'm late for dinner ya know!_

**This is not a bug; it is all part of «Sword Art Online»'s system. **

…_...huh?_

**Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will..**

_Hey? Are you serious?_

**...also, the disruption or dismantling of the Nerve Gear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted..."**

_Yeah?_

The next words came slowly.

"**...the signal sensors in your Nerve Gear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all of your basic functions.**

_Umm, you are talking like we have been strapped up into one of those electric execution devices.._

_And what basic functions? I'm not an brain-anatomy expert!_

**To be a little more specific, disconnection from an outside source of electricity for ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to: unlock, dismantle, or destroy the Nerve Gear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. **

_So, if my internet connection fails I die?! What the hell man?_

**These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully remove the Nerve Gear. **

_Oh god... Stupid sister, please hear my prayers and don't try anything stupid.._

**The result... **

The metallic voice took a short breath here. I held my breath, hoping that I was wrong.

**...regretfully 213 players have already exited this game, and the real world, forever.**

_H.h..hah.. This is a joke right? Right?_

**Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies you left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and Internet media are repeatedly reporting this situation; including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your Nerve Gear taken off has already all but disappeared. **

_Phew., then I won't die instantly.._

**In a moment, using the two hours I have provided, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax... and concentrate on beating the game **

_Hope it's nothing too fancy. Don't think our economy can handle that.._

**But I ask of you all to understand that «Sword Art Online» is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality... From now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment your HP reaches 0, your avatar will be gone forever. And at the same time, your brain will be destroyed by the Nerve Gear. **

**Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game. As I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor, and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word **

…_.well thanks... Now I feel much better, knowing you give us your word.._

**Then I will show you evidence that this is the only reality. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this. **

At this point, my body started to respond somewhat. Looking around at the increasingly nervous crown I swiped down my trembling finger, opening the System Menu. After almost six hours worth of playing, my inventory had some content.

**Boar Tusk x3**

**Boar Skin x2**

**Healing Herb x3**

**Starter Dagger x1**

**Started Leather Boots x1**

**Starter Leather Full Armour x1**

**Starter Leather Gloves x1**

**Starter Sword x1**

**Throwing Pick x7**

**Col x371**

These I all recognised since I had been out in the field, killing boars nonstop. Heck, I had even gained a level at that short time! But now I noticed an unfamiliar icon blinking, indication that an item was recently added and had not been selected even once. Scrolling down

**Mirror Of Truth x1**

I selected it and pressed

"**Turn into object**".

A blue flash appeared in my hand before it transformed into a small glass mirror. It was a small pocket thing, and ordinary item that didn't seem to hold any important secrets. "_Well, what's the worst that can happened now?" _I mused and faced the smooth surface. Staring back at me was welcome sight. My avatar that I had spent so much time completing.

Silver hair, attached to dark skin and a pair of icy blue eyes glanced back at me. Surrounding them was my own familiar features that had taken so much time to recreate (though I must admit I made a few slight improvements here and there). The reason I tried so hard was to recreate a somewhat familiar form so I wouldn't be too confused each time I saw my reflection. Call me names, but I want to keep my identity even in a place like this.

My thoughts changed course as blue polygons surrounded me and sent sharp thrusts of pain from my pained eyes to my brain.. oops, I mean my virtual brain! Just as quickly as they appeared; they vanished and left me dazed, still clutching to the small mirror in my hand.

"_What was that? I don't even..." _

Nothing seemed to have happened to me..

"_Then what was the point of the light?" _I wondered and looked around. The answer quickly came to me.

When I had been forcefully teleported into the huge plaza, all the other players around me had seemed to come from some sort of fairy tale.

Thick long hair and smooth skins were everywhere! Handsome faces and overly beautiful girls were everywhere! And they were all wearing surprised expressions. They looked all like a new race of intelligent fair individuals.

But now, everyone looked different. The first thing that stood out was the lack of females in the crowd. A smile almost reached my face when I noticed some guys clinging to other males, who's faces showed a face of true shock.

"_So crossdressers were common even here, huh?"_

Second; I noted that instead of the fair race, I stood amongst what looked like thousands of cosplayers from some fiction event. I can only say that while some of them somewhat bore their middle age clothes with grace, the rest did not. At all.. Before I had time to reflect over this further, the cloaked figure flying above us resumed his speech

**You will all most probably be wondering, "Why." Why am I —the creator of both the Nerve Gear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko— doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us? **

**These are not the reasons why I am doing this. Not only that, but for me, there is no longer a reason or a purpose in doing this. The reason is because... this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the Nerve Gear and SAO. **

**And now, everything has been realized .Now, I have finished the official tutorial for «Sword Art Online». **

**Players—I wish you luck. **

One thing that came into my head at that moment found a deep hold and gnawed against my temples:

"_We are so dead"_

* * *

Well, that is it! Will continue later when i've caugh some sleep and though up some nice ideas. Until then, best regards and peace out!


	2. Chapter 2 A Walk In The Woods

Well here it is. Part two

Had a great time writing it so far. Will start working on the next chapter immediately.

Hope you enjoy it

* * *

Screams erupted all around me.

Echoes of horrified voices, forcefully rejecting the unbearable truth, resonated all through my bones all the way from the cranium to the very tip of my feet. It was like a furious sea of despair raging all around me; a tiny boat on a vast hellish battlefield. Why I was not equally horrified by these facts surprised me more than a little. Why wasn't I out there, in the mass confusion, screaming my lungs out in despair?

Things became worse. Unable to work out their anger on the real perpetrator, Kayaba Akihiko; the players turned on each other and brawls erupted on more than one occasion. Small sparks of light flashed when the "**Safe zone"** rules sprung into action, turning the potential damage into knockback effects. A perfect excuse for the people around to join the fray.

I carefully made my way to a nearby wall where I sat down, resting my head in my palms.

_Why did it come to this?_

Looking at the mass confusion which had somewhat eased in strength, I felt more lonely than I ever had before. I missed my family and friend so much that mere words are unable to describe the emptiness within.

_Will I ever see your faces again? Am I doomed to reside here until my real body dies from age?_

Ironically, the last thing I had said to my mother was "No mom, I will not spend all free time laying on my bed playing games. Stop worrying and leave me alone please"

Frustration had guided my voice and my tone had been sharp, too sharp. Father was no better, always thinking about his work and never having the time to take the slightest interest in my activities.

_Mom, dad, sis... I miss you so much.. But know this: _

I sat up with fire in my eyes

_I will fight! To my dying breath, I will always work to free myself from this prison and reunite with you! And it's not just me!. Everybody here want to go home and I will see that their wish is fulfilled. That, I swear._

But though fighting spirit was back in me, I could only helplessly stare at the commotion before me. An ant would've had a greater chance of wrestling an angry dog into submission than me being able to calm everybody.

_At least they are safe here within the city walls.._

"Think it will cool off soon?" a voice asked beside me

I looked up and saw a tall man leaning against the wall, hands crossed over his chest. He looked a lot older than me with his rough features. Red hair held back by a bandana, a small beard and brown eyes that looked at me with passing interest. A curved blade about the length of my forearm was visible on his back, leading my thoughts towards something that resembled a samurai warrior. His posture alone made me calmer.

I eased myself into a standing position.

"Who knows? Not for a while at least I would guess.. But even if everyone calmed down, we'll still in the need of some sort of leader that could organize some sort of order.."

"Hmm, you may be right on that my friend.." He gave me a appreciative glance.

"I'm Klein by the way."

"Sand" I took his outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "Nice to meet you Klein.

"Likewise. You are not the usual type one would find here" he nodded towards the crowd.

I shrugged. "What about yourself? You seem very calm considering the situation around here."

With a hand scratching the back of his head, Klein looked almost a bit embarrassed.

"Well yeah, I had the good fortune of running into a guy that taught me a bunch of stuff about this game. It's not very impressive but enough for me to feel confident that I will not die instantly. "

Cocking my head slightly to the side, I asked "Where is he now? Did his family..." hesitation made me stutter. "...you know... pull the plug?"

Flinching, Klein's eyes widened and clenched his fists for a moment. "No.. nothing like that, at least I hope not. Last time I saw him, he was heading towards the next village on this floor..."

"I see.."

I glanced over the sea of players without registering even one detail.

I'd only got my info so far from the MMO magazines before launch and the help menu but I didn't consider myself to be in any immediate danger either. With the town´s Safe Mode and the low class mob spawning around the perimeter, it was actually pretty difficult to end up in a life-threatening situation. Beyond the outskirts of the fields however, lay the forest. Packs of wolves roamed the areas and carnivorous plants hid in the vegetation. Since it was the first day, I had stuck with grinding the **Wild Boar** mobs the whole day. Sharpening my dagger and throwing skills, it had been a time filled with sheer joy and determination.

Feelings that might never return.

"Hey man, can I ask you something?"

"Uhh, yeah sure. What is it?" I answered a bit perplexed. Didn't he just say that he had learnt a lot from that other guy? Why did he need my help?

Klein smiled "Well, I was just wondering about your looks mate. No offence but I find it hard to believe that this is your real form"

"In fact..!" he continued. "I might have seen you before on the plains and you look exactly the same now as then. Didn't you use the mirror?"

Now it was my turn to scratch the back of my head

"Ah, now that you mention it, it IS a bit strange I guess. I used the mirror as that flying cape guy said and a blue light did appear around me like on everybody else. But nothing was different than before."

Klein looked confused so I quickly continued while my hands brought back my mirror to show him that I had indeed used it.

"Well, I did actually spend a considerable amount of time to get my character to look like my real body but my skin is not this dark and my hair is nowhere near this colour... Do you by the way have any idea how the Nerve Gears could replicate our appearances so exact?"

At this point, the redhaired guy seemed more at ease.

"Well, you remember this guy I told you about?" I nodded

"When the transform initially happened, I asked him the same question and he figured that it was related to the simulation run we all did during the first startup of the Nerve Gears. You know, where you had to touch your body in all these weird places in order to let the helmet calibrate to your brain. Something about enabling it to replicate the motion in the virtual world."

"Oh, then it makes sense." Since Klein's face still showed wrinkles on his forehead I explained.

"Since my avatar's appearance does not differ much from my actual face, it's easy to think it hasn't changed.

However no matter how exact the calibration is, the Nerve Gear cannot feel colours. Those statistics were probably taken from our avatar and thus they remained when we were morphed into our lookalike versions. Since I chose this, I guess, unique look, my character is pretty much the same."

"Hmm.." Klein rubbed his chin.

"You are bright, kid. I'll give you that." I could sense a smirk behind those concealing fingers

"I'm no more a kid than you are in here, you know"

"Heh, I guess."

I found that talking and joking came very natural to Klein and it was very hard not being dragged into his seemingly careless behaviour.

Strange. It seemed like we already knew each other very well. Completely at ease, we were talking, even joking, with each other while there were still mass confusion only a few meters away. A pang of guilt grasped my throat. Klein noticed my distress and spoke.

"Ok, I think this has been going on long enough. You are too short to be noticed in the crowds so I guess it's up to the charismatic and handsome Klein to create some order in this chaos"

"Hey!" I began to protest. I wanted to help! Though I gradually began to see the logic in his words. I'd probably be a nuisance more than an ally in there. But still..

"I want to help"

Klein smiled faintly and, to my humiliation, ruffed a hand through my thick silver hair. I caught his wrist and held it firm, locking his gaze with mine.

He wrung his hand free and held it up as a silent apology.

"Alright, alright, no more teasing" One moment he was smiling, the next he was dead serious with a grim expression on his face.

"But seriously though, you want to help?" I nodded.

"Then start training your skills. We're going to need every capable man and woman we can get in order to survive this.

I hope we meet again"

With those parting words, Klein offered a short bow, turned and literally DIVED into the crowd, screaming like a madman and bearing down fighters where ever he could find him. I stood for a while and watched him go, but then I reminded myself that I wasn't of much use here. Shaking my head, I turned and walked out of the plaza into the world beyond.

In the vast woods on the first level, a layer of deceiving calmness always lurked around the corner. It seeped into your mind and numbed your senses, almost like a drug. I often found myself just staring at the world, hardly believing that it wasn't real. The amount of work even a simple flower must've required! Birds could sometimes be heard in a distance, leaves occasionally dropped to the ground to be crushed by my boot. Even the smells were so lifelike! Hints of pollen flowed quietly through the air, almost glowing in the bathing sunlight.

But I quickly learned to suppress such emotions of awe, for monsters were always around and they would not hesitate to kill you.

That was the ugly truth we all lived in.

"Grooaaarr!"

A lone wolf spotted me as I made my way deeper into the wilderness. Focusing on it, I noticed that it's normally green cursor had turned into an angry red. It snarled and crouched down with saliva dripping from it's fanged mouth, claws leaving marks in the soft soil

I also jumped into a crouch and slowly drew my newly aquired **Fang Dagger**, which a similar wolf had dropped on the outskirts of the forest. I could've equipped two daggers but then i wouldn't be able to use sword skills, for reasons unknown to me. Little did I know at that time that the requirement for a player to dual wield dagger was to level up your dagger skill to a discouraging 900.

It's stats were not much better than my **Starters Dagger**, but it had almost double durability, thus being my prime weapon of choice this early in SAO.

It escaped it's leather scabbard attached to my right ankle with a small hissing sound, whereby the wolf's ears clipped and it's eyes narrowed.

_Is it really just a pile of data? It seems so real._

For a moment both of us stood perfectly still, eyeing each other. The rapidly descending sun smiled at us with it's last beams, and then: Darkness!

The wolf took the initiative and came charging towards me, eyes set on my throat. Propelled by it's powerful hindlegs, it leaped up and snapped at my face.

At the last moment, I sidestepped out of it's deadly path. Unable to halt it's rush, the wolf leaped past me. If given the chance, it would veer around the instant it's paws touched the soil and bear me to the ground with it's powerful maw.

It never came to that.

As I sidestepped my hand were already working in a blur, the unarmed one seizing the wolf by it's head, pulling it back, while the other came in low, stabbing the beast cleanly in the throat. The wolf froze in mid air and I saw it's health bar rapidly going from green into the red area and finally it depleted completely. Letting out one last gurgle, the wolf flinched and exploded into a million polygons.

**Level Up!**

**Crit Attack: Sidestep Counter Bonus Damage**

**Items Aquired : Wolf Fang x1**

**EXP Earned : 52**

**Col Earned : 12 **

Huh? Another level up so soon? I opened my stats window and distributed my 3 newly aquired skillpoints

**AGI +2**

**STR +1**

That should do it. Daggers had a lower attack rate than normal swords, but I didn't want to start all over and train a completely new skillbranch, so instead I focused on AGI ,or agility, that boosted the chance of a critical hit and also made my movements faster. Speed was a vital factor in here, both in when it came to direct combat and when you had to retreat from an overwhelming amount of mobs.

Looking at the time in the corner of my vision, I realised that I had been grinding for over six hours straight! That meant that my total playtime was now up to fourteen hours in total.

"_No wonder I´m feeling tired_" I mused and sheathed my blade.

_I wonder if you can navigate by looking at the moon, but then again I don't even know where the moon rises. Gotta look into it later if I remember._

With a resigned sigh I turned around and picked a path that led back to **Horunka Village,** the second town in the game. The thought of giving up earned ground and retreating back where I started was a bit frustrating, but I hadn't discovered a so called **Safe Zone** yet, which is an area in a spawn field where the monsters can't enter, thus providing exhausted players with a sanctuary where they could gather their strength.

Despite of what one might think, the mob spawn rate does not decrease during night-time. Quite the contrary actually. It is also confirmed that the monsters grow more aggressive and stronger during night time, why that is haven't been discovered yet. But those two facts made my departure from the woods, to put it blunt, a pain in the ass. I often had to double back as wolfpacks were constantly on the move. Here, I found that my **Hiding** skill became a prime survival factor. Had it not been possible to blend into the darkness and quickly sneak away, my life would've been on a very thin line.

Of course, not all wolves were avoided. Whenever I found a lone one or a pair, I stopped and battled them with all my strength for they were very difficult to tackle in groups.

Moving out on a small stone ledge I spotted a small shadow in a clearing some distance away. Focusing on it, the system acknowledged my desire and the area surrounding the shadow became more detailed while the rest of the world blurred somewhat. It was a wolf, another rouge hunter by the looks of it. Thinking that I had found a fairy easy kill, my dagger appeared in my right hand and I walked carelessly towards it, not even bothering to hide.

I was a fool to relax.

It's head turned to face me, eyes shining with a silvery gleam. It's cursor was not clear green as the rest but rather yellow. I paused and wondered what that could mean, but it suddenly became were clear to me when the beast bent it's back and let out a long howl.

A text appeared over it's head which read "**Pack Leader**". The meaning struck me like a punch in the face

_No... you have got to be kidding me.._

All around me, pairs of silvery eyes slowly appeared.

* * *

Well, no more for this time. Think i'll leave it here at the peak of tension, just because i can.

To review or to not review, that is up to you.

Peace out!


	3. Chapter 3 Discovery

Third person episode coming up!

Experimenting on which one that feels best

Enjoy

* * *

Fangs gleamed in the soft moonlight, each flash of light promising pain and agony.

Paws moved softly over the rough earth, letting only a slight whisper of sound escape from it's soft touch.

Eyes filled with a savage hunger turned and regarded the figure in the center of a closing ring of death. Silver hair that shone with an inner light, piercing blue eyes and dark skin which blended together with the nights creeping shadow, he would've made a rather imposing impression; had it not been for his trembling stance.

His legs were set in a wide distance while his upper body was bent over, presenting the growling beasts with a small target. So far so good.

Dagger in one hand, formed from a claw taken by the very same race that surrounded him, and two **Throwing Picks** in his other, Sand could almost feel their rage.

He was scared.

His hand were shaking wildly. Sweat covered his forehead and his eyes, with their icy glare, darted forth and back, trying to discern his enemies. The "**Dire Wolves**"**,** the toughest wolf mobs that spawned on the first floor except for the floor boss and it's minions, never let their eyes of their pray and moved to close their ring even further.

_I don't want to die_

Those thoughts hammered his conscience constantly as he saw the feral beasts creep closer and closer.

One of them stood out of the crowd: It was the **Pack Leader **he'd had spotted before. Looking at it now, not one thing implored that it was an easy kill like it had before. Now, with it's mane thick and glistening, it appeared as a king of the wild, standing in the midst of his followers.

Followers who were watching the ebony skinned youth hungrily.

Suddenly, the ring of growling fur and teeth stopped and left Sand standing in the middle, facing the **Pack Leader**. It crouched down and bared it's teeth, dripping with saliva. A deep thundering roar built up towards a crescendo as it transformed into a dizzy gray bullet that came charging towards me.

A not so distant memory of a similar fight brushed against Sand's mind.

_That's it! I only have to repeat what I did there and I should be fine. They should go when their leader is killed right? Right? Ok, here he comes._

_3, 2, 1, GO!_

He drew his left hand back and threw both picks at the charging wolf's head, causing it to veer slightly to the left. Undaunted, and with it's HP barely affected, it pressed on.

It was faster than a normal wolf, much faster, but he managed to scramble to one side and avoid it's great rush by a hair's breadth. Thinking his victory in hand, Sand's left hand shot forward and searched for fur to grab on while the right charged up the sword skill **"Horizontal"** to be unleashed on the soon be exposed throat. But the tentative grasping hand never reached it's mark. With horrifying speed, the **Pack Leader's** head whipped to the side and sunk it's fangs deep into the exposed wrist.

Howling with glee, it tensed and set it's powerful maws into work.

Screaming from the blinding pain that erupted from his hand, Sand kicked it twice in the belly with all the strength he possessed.

It was like hitting an immortal object..

Razorsharp teeth sawed into the hand, ripped through the imaginary veins and muscles and then "SNAP!" the huge mouth closed shut and the limb burst into a million stars of light.

Numb from the sudden agony, the silver-haired boy could only watch in horror as it's head turned and came rushing towards his face.

"**Sword Skill Activate"**

Suddenly, his right hand worked on it's own and with a blade that gleamed with a sky-blue light, it went under the jaw and drew a deep line of crimson on it's belly! Howls of victory were replaced by yelps of pain and agony.

**Critical Hit**

Too shocked to stop, he did not deter and launched another sword skill, this time it was a **"Slant"** that cut diagonally into the thick skull and went all the way through. With a pitiful gurgle, the **Pack Leader** collapsed on the ground where it shattered, leaving not event the slightest trace of it's existence behind.

By an act of immense kindness, a god or goddess had not let his charged **Horizontal** be interrupted, and as Sand hadn't activated it on his own, the system had eventually taken over and forced it to execute the pre-written movement. But was it really kindness, or a cruel sense of humour? Sand wondered as his gaze stared at the furious pack of leaderless **Dire Wolves.** It didn't seem like they would leave any time soon, not while his body was still in one piece. Not a comforting thought.

They had also grown considerably larger when their leader was killed, now they were as big as horses! If they had been standing on their rear legs, they would've been much taller than the youth before them. That was the nature of the **Dire Wolf.** When it's comrades died, it's anger increase along with it's attack power. A truly difficult mob to tackle alone.

And here he was, facing at least twenty of them at the same time.

_I must escape from here! But how? They are too large to be leaped over and there's no gap in the ring!_

Then he found his answer. A primal fury rose from the depths within his conscious, overwhelming the freezing and replaced it with a state of cold calculating focus.

_I can do this. If I die, it means I'm not fit to survive this prison and return to the outside world. SO BE IT!_

Not a sound came from his mouth when he suddenly dashed forward, towards the waiting wolves. They snarled and similarly charged, but with howls and growls that echoed through the forest. Sand dived to the right, slashing off a leg of first diving mob with his dagger, and then reversed his momentum and leaped back left. The feint worked as two grey streaks crossed the path he had just abandoned. Behind him, the rest charged forward save for the injured one, forcing him to run as fast as his AGI points would let him.

Two wolves were now standing between him and freedom, and they came from both sides at the same time.

"If I can't go over them..." A whisper escaped from Sand's mouth

The monsters jumped simultaneously, intercepting the path of the sprinting figure of black and silver.

"I JUST HAVE TO GO UNDER THEM!"

His last words came out as a roar. Dashing at full speed, Sand suddenly threw his feet in front of him, skidded under the belly of the first wolf and initiated his last known sword skill, "**Rage Spike".** With a flash of red, his dagger dove into the second beast's belly where it became stuck. Unable to hold on, Sand flew past and scampered up on his feet.

Without a weapon and only one hand attached to it's arm, he ran for his life into the darkness, beasts close behind.

Back in the grove, the **Fang Dagger** had done it's job. With it's blade still in it's belly, the **Dire Wolf** struggled to stand, to follow it's pack in it's hunt. With a pained howl and shimmering eyes, it struggled to survive in this world where only the strongest could.

It's HP bar went from yellow to a scarlet red.

Finally, it's legs lost all strength and the beaten hunter went back to the ground. The contact between the daggers grip and the earth made it plunge deeper into the flesh, drawing small yelps of pain from the dying wolf's mouth. It looked up towards the moon one last time, took a final deep breath, and disappeared with a small:

"Cling"

Breathing was hard. Every step and leap he took sent burning pain though his arm. Roots seemed to appear out of nowhere and it took all the mental concentration that Sand had left to evade them, desperately trying to avoid a sudden fall and getting caught by the mobs behind. Clutching his left wrist with his right hand, he ran at full speed,.

Never stopping, never looking back.

But they were out there, they were always out there. With hungry mouths and sharp claws they would follow him to the end of the world if they had to. Dashing between trees and bushes, Sand suddenly came to another clearing. But now his luck seemed to have hit rock bottom, for it was a spawn area for most kinds of mobs. All he could see was green cursors, flickering with light, and then turning bright red as the mobs detected him. Plants, boars, wolves, horned beetles, they were all present. With no way out, Sand did the only thing that could save him.

He leaped up and grasped a low-hanging branch with his one functioning hand and heaved himself up.

If somebody would've asked him to recreate that manoeuvre, he would've laughed in their face. His STR parameter shouldn't have been anywhere near enough to enable him to use only one arm to support his full body weight. But the desire to survive defied that fact. Up he went, climbing as high as he could get. Beneath him was numerous scores of hissing, snarling,, screeching, growling and scrambling mobs, all focusing on reaching him. But they could not get up higher than the first branch and Sand was way higher up when they reached that point.

Scaling the giant tree, his eyes began to blur. All his energy supplies were exhausted and his grip faltered.

On the brink of conscience, he found a large hole in the tree. Not halting to ponder why there was a hole in the tree, he fell inside and landed 2 feet below entrance level.

_Must... hide..._

_Must...survive._

Using the very last drops of energy, Sand opened the system menu, scrolled down, and the moment before darkness took him he reached out with his finger towards the hovering button

**Passive Skill Activate: Hiding**

_**Argo**_

Argo the rat sat in a tree located at the northwest section in the **Town of Beginnings**.Her hands worked in a blur to respond to the various PM's she received from her clients. Argo was an Informant Broker, an unofficial class of merchants who's primal source of income was their supply of information that they could deliver. Few chose that route since not many players had a lot of intel if SAO, but Argo had been in the beta test, and with her outstanding ability to recall any words spoken to her, she was the best informant in the game.

The nickname "The Rat" came partially from her ability to sniff out the most secretive players location and their status, but mostly because of her unusual choice of make-up. Three black stripes ran across each cheek from her nose to the side, very much like whiskers. Along with her hood with animal ears, she did look like a small rodent sometimes, thus the name which she carried with pride.

The requests she accepted could contain any piece of information between heaven and earth:

Where the highest chance of getting a rare item was?

What sort of crafting material that was required for a high level weapon or armour?

Attack patterns regarding different types of mobs.

Which build that was the most efficient in grinding,?

The current highest level blacksmith in the game?

How to find special quest with rare rewards?

How many female players were currently in the game?

How to unlock new sword skills.

etc. etc...

Needless to say, she had her hands full.

"Oii, Argo! Argo, is that you? Damnit.. ARGO CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"

With a startled shriek, Argo the rat fell face down from the tree only to be caught by a tall male with red hair held back by a bandana.

"Yo, apparently I was right"

"Get your hands off me you shitty samurai wannabe!"

"Sure, no problem"

Klein shrugged and simply let go, whereby Argo resumed her fall all the way down to the ground this time. She hissed and spun around with her claw weapons equipped.

"What the hell do you mean, scaring me like that Klein? I nearly died from from a heart-attack you jerk!"

Klein backed away with hands held up in a meager defence.

"Woah, woah. Calm down will you? People are staring you know."

As to emphasize his point, Klein gestured around where quite a lot of players and even NPCs had stopped and turned to regard the quarreling pair.

Argo noticed it too and let out a forced breath and sat down in the trees shade.

"What do you want Klein? I told you before that katana skills doesn't become available until you do a certain quest on a higher floor and level up your curved sword skill to 600"

Deeming that the moment of danger had passed, Klein eased down beside her and looked at the busy marked in front of them

"Actually I've come to ask about a favour. You see, there was this one guy I met in the plaza when Kayaba held his long speech of death. His name's s Sand. Blue eyed, dark skinned fella with silvery hair. Think he's a dagger user. I haven't seen him since the mass teleportation and I'm starting to worry a bit."

Argo regarded the worried look that Klein offered and tilted her head to the side.

"Hoo? Well well, this isn't like you at all Mr. Samurai. What would make you think I would give up that information for free, hm?"

Their eyes met and Klein answered:

"Because I know you care about the people around you. Besides, I don't want to know his stats or anything. I just want to make sure that he's still out there"

"hmm... Ok, fair enough. But you owe me one now, Klein."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you" he replied with a small wink.

Argo shrugged, opened her system menu and began to send out countless messages to her numerous contacts. Within minutes, streams of replies came in from all over the area, not one containing anything useful.

The rat shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Klein. Besides from a few reports of seeing him on the plains before the speech , not one has seen or heard anything about your dark friend. Have you tried PM-ing him?

Klein looked down and took up a handful of dirt from the ground.

"I never though of adding him.."

"I see..."

In SAO, unlike other MMOs, a player could only contact other players via PM's if they were on their friend list. Otherwise, one would have to track down the player just like in the real world. And to befriend somebody, one would have to be within an area of ten metres. An annoying setting but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Klein shook his head but then he stood up, noticing a familiar figure walking through the crowd.

"Thanks Argo. I'll just keep hoping."

Watching him sprinting away, Argo the Rat remained under in the comfortable shade, slightly uneased by the conversation that had transpired. She looked up quickly though when Klein's voiced echoed between the walls.

"Kirito! Hey man, what's up?!"

When Sand regained conscience, he did not know where he was. Soft rays of sunlight warmed his skin, bade him to greet the world outside. Stumbling to his feet with a moan, Sand did just that.

With a body soar from spending several hours laying on a hard surface, he climbed out of the opening by grasping the edges, unaware that he now had two functioning hands.

It was beautiful outside. Harmless birds built their nests in the trees with one occasional interruption to chase down a passing insect or a crawling worm on the ground. Sand sat down on the edge, mind still dazed and watched their flight. Everything seemed so peaceful, so full of harmony. He spotted a small worm on the ground and soon enough, a bird dove down, landed and picked it up. Chirping happily, it threw the slithering shape up into the air and snapped it's beak at it.

"THUD!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, a huge paw appeared and caught the bird between it's claws. Bending down, the wolf opened it's jaw wide and regarded it's catch whereby lifted it's foreleg. Screeching with terror, the bird flapped it's small wings furiously to try and escape.

It flew to it's doom, right into the waiting mouth.

The wolf snapped it's jaws shut and swallowed, not even bothering to chew it's snack.

Startled, Sand got up and instinctively reached down for his dagger.

It wasn't there!

Like a punch in the face, memories of the night before rushed into his mind. The **Dire Wolves**, the clearing, his dagger stuck in a beasts belly, the hellish escape through the woods, the spawn area..

Spawn area?!

Tearing his eyes from the spectacle up high, Sand gazed downwards, towards the ground. He gasped.

Boars stalked the area, occasionally digging in the soft soil with their long tusks. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that mobs don't attack each other so they were not disturbed at all by the fact that wolves paced between them. Carnivore plants were rooted to the ground, bathing in the sunlight.

Eyeing the scene, Sand understood that even the previous struggle he had witnessed was as it should be. Small animals were eaten by the big. That was the law of nature, and it applied even here. Another sign of the ingenious mastermind behind it all.

Still something was off

They should've detected him by now, but their cursors were still a pure green. What was going on?

Sand opened his system menu, thinking of equipping his only remaining weapon, the **Starter Dagger**, but he halted at the opening menu that showed his stats and skills. Everything was seemed normal at first, his level was still five, but there was one skill whose number made him react:

**Hiding: 278 / 1000**

_No way! It was a meager 67 the last time I checked! What the...?_

Once again, his face got an imaginary punch. The last thing he remembered before all went black was his trembling hand, reaching for the system window towards a button. The **Hiding** skill activation!

_But that means that I was hiding at the same time as I was asleep. Is that even possible?_

Apparently it was, and his stats showed the proof. Sand realised that he had discovered something very important here, and that he had to guard the secret carefully. Or did he? With this method, a newbie could rise from a stealth novice to a master within a span of maybe two weeks. Would that be so bad? But then again, there was no guarantee that they would use it for good purposes. Thieves would not be caught by anyone except a tracking master, and those would be very rare, even at the higher levels.

_I can't risk it. I will keep it a secret to everyone, and use it to ensure the safety of the people trapped here. It is a burden I must bear alone._

Deciding on that course, Sand began his descent, still in hiding mode, while eyeing the mobs. They showed no reaction yet.

_Right, lets try it out_

Without a sound, Sand manoeuvred himself to a low hanging branch that stretched out just above a digging boar. He was glad that he had selected the leather armour as a start since it gave the user the highest mobility rate. Another bonus was that it did not screech when the player moved, like steel armour. Sand drew his remaining dagger and eased himself forward, until he was looking right down on the beasts neck. With the grace of a cat, he nimbly threw himself out and dove down on the boar, dagger leading the way. It did not know what happened before it was too late.

The dagger, surprisingly gleaming a soft green colour, struck the boar in the neck where it stopped a moment before it met no resistance as the boar shattered without the slightest squeal. Sand, who had expected the mob to provide with a temporary platform to land on, overbalanced and landed hard on his back, looking at the thousand stars (or polygons) who had appeared over his head.

"Ouch"

Scratching his sore head, he stood up and looked around. No wolf was nearby fortunately, and the surrounding boars was too far to detect him. The wolves had an innate ability that sensed when someone attacked a nearby mob and they would then turn on that person. But board lacked that ability and did not react at all. A blinking icon in the corner of his eye made him open his skill window.

**New Skill Unlocked: **

**Fatal Stab**

_**Will only activate if the target is unaware of the attackers presence.**_

_**Deals a critical strike x3 a normal attack.**_

_**5 % chance of instant kill**_

_N.. No way! Such an awesome skill actually exist?!_

Then thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. A monsters field of awareness worked not only as a circle, but as a full pillar, meaning that it could detect a player at any height. But not if the players hiding skill was high enough. So the requirement for this skill to activate was almost impossible if you didn't have a ridiculously high **Hiding** skill number.

Which Sand did.

He looked at his weapon. It's durability was down to **7 / 100**, which meant it could break any minute. He gazed at the spot where the boar mob had disappeared. A faint smile player on his dark lips.

"I need a new blade"

* * *

Well, that's it for this time. Longest chapter so far. Please be patient until i write the next one

Note: I added the ten metre friend request thing by my own accord as well as the skill requirements for unlocking the katana. I don't know if it's the same in the original story but I thought it fitting so now it's a LAW!

The Fatal Stab thing is my own invention so there should not be a problem there.


	4. Chapter 4 Sacrifice

Haah, that was not expected! Almost 10'000 words in one chapter, but i couldn't find a good way to end it..

Note: The night-scene in the chapters before doesn't occur directly after the first day. Sand's been out there several times, and returned to the town of beginnings and later Horunka Village to rest.

* * *

As he walked through the gates to the village in the morning with his hood up, Sand could not help to notice the absence of players.

He had spent the night out in the hollowed tree and increased his **Hiding **skill with another 100 points, bringing it up to an impressing **383 / 1000**. The rate of increasing points had notably decreased since last time, but that was to be expected since all skills were easy to level in the beginning but very time consuming to master. Sand figured that his earlier assumption of being able to master the skill in only two weeks was very naïve. Soon, the monsters were too low levelled to increase his skill, as his own level had risen with the EXP rewards from developing a skill. That night, he had reflected over the reason why this method even worked. It had taken some time, but he had a pretty shrewd idea now.

Primarily, all monsters focus on their five senses, not only their eyes to identify targets. And because of that, the nearby mobs could pick up his scent and so they began to search for him. But he was not in plain sight, and his location could not be reached as the mobs can't climb trees. Therefore, he was perfectly safe while the mobs searched for the source of his smell without progress.

But enough of that!

Only half of the usual number were busy in the streets. Usually, the town square would be filled to the tip with players who were looking for either a trade, a party or maybe simply conversation. Shrugging, he turned his steps towards the merchant area, but it was completely deserted! Now beginning to wonder, Sand made his way back to the central district.

"Hey" he called to a boy in starter gear that passed by.

"Where is everybody?"

The boy stopped and eyed the dark figure with sudden interest.

"Ey, didn't you hear? All the higher levelled players are having a meeting over at the rocks circle south west of the city. Something about a strategy gathering I believe."

Sand regarded that interesting piece of info. A meeting? Could be worth checking out.

"One more thing before you go" he called to the now leaving youth.

"Yeesss? An emphasize on the E revealed his boredom.

"You know if there's a merchant in the city that's not participating in the event?"

The boy signed and resumed his walking. He looked over his shoulder and waved.

"Nah, they're all there I think. You seem somewhat strong so you should head there too. Well see ya strange ojii-san!" (ojii-san = old man)

Sand clenched his fist as he walked down the road with his hood up in order to avoid any questions about the colour of his skin.

"Ojii-san? That little brat!"

He really needed a merchant that could provide him with a better dagger and armour, and he disregarded the NPC's because of their high prices and limited stock. Though he stopped at one and sold off the useless scrap loot he had gathered over the weeks. It was his first trade in a very long time, as he had only returned to the T**own of Beginnings** or **Horunka Village** to sleep at a cheap inn at night.

He smiled when he spotted the stone circle who slightly resembled the famous Stonehenge in England on the outside but was more like an antic Roman theatre on the inside. Rough benches were carved into the stone, overlapping each other and forming a great circular staircase. As he came closer, he realised that the meeting had just begun.

Unwilling to draw any unwanted attention to himself, Sand activated his **Hiding, **and instead of using the main gate, he crouchedlow and eased himself over to a shady area where he had a good look over the entire scene. Confident of his newly found ability, he removed his hood, sat down with his legs crossed and leaned against a wall, listening with great interest.

A blue-haired male had stepped up on the centre stage and introduced himself as "Diabel the Knight"

That brought chuckles and whistles from the crowd, as the game did not have specific classes such as "Knights, Paladins, Rangers, Rouges, Mages" etc. The air was filled with a positive attitude.

"_So much has improved since the first day_"Sand mused, comparing the chaos of the plaza with the relaxed present.

Diabel seemed at ease with the teasing remarks, but then his face became grim. Noting the change, the crowd silenced and waited.

Taking a big breath, the blue-haired knight spoke.

"Yesterday, my party found the entrance to the boss room at the top of the tower"

All the smiles vanished and everybody seemed to lean forward.

"We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone waiting in the **Town of Beginnings** that it is possible to beat this game!"

He began to walk back and forward with his hands out wide. He manipulated the crowd perfectly and not a single individual looked away.

"Everybody present shares this duty! Don't you agree?!"

The players seemed startled at first, but then they all nodded and began to applaud.

Diabel gave a slight bow, acknowledging the support.

"Well then. Lets begin the planning. Everybody divide into parties of six! Since it's a boss battle, normal parties will not suffice."

Sand tensed. He did not know any of the players down there, and if he wanted to participate in the battle, he would be forced to find one that would accept him.

_This is bad_

He hurriedly began to rise..

But it was too late. Everyone seemed to have already found their members and dozens of requests had already been sent out. Nobody was left out.

A faint curse escape from Sand's lips as he eased back in position

Eyeing the crowd, Diabel began to speak again

"Okay, everybody done? Then lets...

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE!"

All eyes turned towards the entrance where a somewhat muscular male with spiky hair stood. He made a leap forward and used every third bench as a stepping stone, skidding to a halt before Diabel where he turned around and faced the crowd.

"Name's Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take down this boss!"

Diabel crossed his hands over his chest and motioned for him to continue. Kibaou ignored him.

"Some of you here need to apologise to the 2000 players that has died so far!"

Murmurs broke out in the crowd, and more than a few viewed the accusing man with suspicion.

Undaunted, Kibaou continued;:

"You know who you are!"

"Kibaou-san" Diabel interrupted. "Are you perhaps referring to the beta testers?"

"You know I am! On the day this stupid game started, the beta guys ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quests for themselves, so only they could get stronger. And then, they just ignored the rest of us."

Anger replaced contempt as Kibaou shot a cursing finger at the crowd.

"I'm sure that someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all the gold and items they've hoarded so far. Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us party members, and they shouldn't trust us!"

Silence followed the angry speech. Everybody, even Sand, was taken back by the sudden hostility that Kibaou showed. Sand even played with the though of hurling a throwing pick at him to make his shut up, but relinquished that idea since this was outside the safe zone. Not only would his cursor go orange, he might hurt the spikehair critically.

_Still..._

This guy. This one guy had alone struck a crack in the group, one that threatened to separate them and destroy any further chance of teamwork. How would they survive in this world if not as a group?

"May I speak?"

A lowpitched voice cut through the mutters and whispers. Rising from a bench, a tall muscular man walked slowly to the stage. His skin was not as colourless and black as sand, but he was definitely not of Japanese origin with his shaved head and American / African looks. Standing tall, he cast a very imposing shadow and Kibaou found himself only reaching up to the man's lower chest area. Across his back was a huge twohanded axe that was almost as long as Sand own body, who was watching intensely.

"My name is Agil" the man proclaimed with a slight American accent. "Kibaou-san, tell me if I have got this right. You are saying that because the beta testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologise and offer compensation. Correct?"

"W.. well yeah" An intimidated Kibaou responded.

Agil's hand went behind his back and produced a small book unknown to Sand.

"You have got this guide book right? It was provided for free at the item store.

"Sure I did.. Why?" Kibaou didn't seem to catch on

"It was compiled by information provided by the beta testers."

_Ooo, didn't see that coming did you? _Sand almost laughed at the face Kibaou made, but he restrained himself, wanting to hear everything about this book he hadn't known existed.

Turning around, Agil continued.

"Listen." Everybody had equal access to this information, and even still, many players died. I though the topic of this gathering was to come up with a plan to fight the boss based on what we've learned from their deaths."

Having spoken his mind, Agil looked at the defeated Kibaou who snorted and sat down on a nearby bench with his arms and legs crossed.

As Agil similarly sat down, Diabel came forth once again.

"Can we continue? Ok, the latest edition of this book was just released, containing information of the boss. It's name is **Illfang the Kobolt Lord **and**..**.."

Sand listened carefully to the following speech, summarizing everything from it's minions, **Ruin Kobolt Sentinels,** to the boss' attack pattern. It was very detailed indeed. The meeting came to and end with the request from Diabel that everyone should gather at the base of the tower at 3 PM the next day, and players began to departure. Sand stood up and donned his hood once more. He walked back to the entrance where he watched the departing players until a familiar face came through the opening.

"Agil-san" he called.

"Yes? Forgive me, but I don't recall seeing you at the meeting."

He eyed Sand with curiosity, but with the sun high on their backs, his efforts of seeing into the hood only showed him an icy pair of blue eyes that gleamed with an inner light. There was something formidable about the cloaked figure that made him tense slightly.

"That's because I wasn't sitting where one would spot me. I was wondering if a could ask about your help with a couple of things."

The tall man looked at him at him for a second, and then motioned for him to walk beside him back towards the town.

"Sure thing. What do you want to know?"

He noted that the unknown person seemed to be a bit embarrassed.

"Well, first thing, I'm trying to get hold of one of those **Guide Books**. I've been out in the field mostly so this is the first time I've heard of it"

Agil gave a out a hearty laugh that brought the attention of the players walking closest. They also seemed somewhat interested in his appearance, but they couldn't pierce the dark hood either.

"Hoo, that one was easy. You need to go to one of the item shops over at **Town of Beginnings**. All NPC's have one, so it shouldn't be very hard to find one."

"Isn't it for sale in **Horunka Village**?" Sand was not fond of the idea of having to walk all the way back to the starting town.

"Nah, man. Only the capital city of each floor can sell them."

"But.." He seemed to understand Sand's feelings

"If you can get a hold of The Rat, she might have a copy or two for sale"

"E..Excuse me? Sounded like you said: The Rat?"

"Yeah, The Rat. Wait, don't tell me you don't even know about the rat. The best and most infamous informant currently in the game."

Sand looked down and kicked a small rock that lay on the path.

"No.. I don't.."

Agil slapped him on the back

"Hey, no worries. Her name's Argo, but she's know as the rat because of her make-up that looks like whiskers. I've heard she's here in the city right now, so you should find her without any inconvenience. Ok, that's one question. What's the next?"

"Oh ok, yeah the next one is the last I'm afraid. Do you perhaps know who's the best blacksmith in the game, dealing with daggers or armour? I need something better than these quest rewards and starter items"

"Hmm, lets see.." Agil began to absently scratch his goatee while he thought.

They had reached the city gates by now and were now casually strolling down the main street

"Well, I think there's a few good merchants in the town at the moment, though I wouldn't recommend any of them, not in amour making. I, however, have a selection of wares I can offer for a cheap price. Haven't got much weapons, but if you're looking for good quality armour, you've reached the right guy.!"

Not waiting for a reply, Agil caught Sand's wrist in an iron grip and led him down a a small alley, over another street and to an shielded area beneath a pine tree where he halted and opened his inventory. Out of thin air, he produced a large rug which he unrolled on the ground and sat down behind it.

"So, what can I get for you?" he asked while he materialized several items on the rug, spanning from heavy plate armour to fine cloth armour

Taken back, Sand did not know if he should laugh or cry at the tall man's enthusiasm. But he quickly swatted that though from his mind

"Leather armour, if you could be so kind" He smiled and sat down on the opposite side of the rug.

"Ok, leather armour it is. Do you want the light version that doesn't weigh much, or something a little heaver that will offer better protection?"

"Anything's fine really, but I have one condition. It must be not make a sound when you move."

Agil's hands worked fast, removing the other types of armour and materialized the right sets on the rug.

_Oh my god.. How ridiculously high is this man's carry weight?!_

"How about this one? As you can see, the ..."

Within seconds, they were both involved in a heated but friendly discussion over prices, stats, durability, looks and weight. Sand had removed his hood at one point, inevitably inviting the question regarding his appearance. He also answered Agil's questions about the hood, explaining the stares he had received from his "fellow players" and thus the reason behind the hood.

Agil even took out a bottle filled with a liquid that was new to Sand, but he quickly learned to enjoy the taste, and they sat for a long time and told stories of what they had experienced since the first day, the rug completely forgotten. Unwilling to reveal his secret even to this man, Sand avoided telling Agil about the **Dire Wolves**, but almost everything else came out with ease. He even recalled some stories about his real life, and Agil responded with the same card, telling Sand about his "Dicey Cafe" in Japan and his reason for journeying to Asia.

Soon enough, the sun had moved from east into west and looking at the time, Agil announced that they had been sitting there for over two hours.

"Haah, it's already past five. Strange how time flies, eh?" He shot a grin towards Sand as he stored his now empty bottle into his inventory

"Certainly" The ebony-skinned youth smiled and eased himself back into a standing position.

"Well Agil-san, I think I'll leave the decision to you. Which armour should I take?"

Agil seemed to pause and consider something.

"Well mate, I think I now know the perfect armour for you"

He removed a pair of scaled boots and then materialized a full armour.

"It's an upgradeable leather / chainmail armour with an extra 5 AGI points boost. The beginning stats are a minor improvement from the starter armour, but if you find a good smith, you can upgrade it five times and almost triple the value. Even with the slight expensive cost of materials for an upgrade, it's a superb choice. You won't find another piece like this anytime soon, so if I were you, I'd strike a deal. I'll also throw in a pair of light boots with a discount."

All he could do was to stare at it. Incredibly small rings of a faint shining metal were weaved together into a hard, yet flexible piece of mesh armour and securing it with leather straps and buttons was a hooded leather jacket that reached beneath the waist. The armour, with all it's splendour, did seem like an exceptional piece except for one thing. It was bright yellow.

"I can't hide even from a squirrel with that thing equipped!"

Taken aback by the statement, Agil coughed loudly and then burst out into laughter. Not understanding what was so funny, Sand could only cross his arms and wait until the merchant had recovered.

"Aaaahh, man! I forgot that you don't own a guide book yet so it'll be hard for you to know."

"Know what?"

Agil's grin widened.

"Well, the colour is not a problem as you can dye them into on or even two hues."

Now joining him in his laughter, Sand wished again that he'd paid more attention to the stores back in the **Town of Beginnings**.

_Oh, well.._

They completed the trade. Sand bought the armour and boots, with a black dye and a pair of leather gloves that were missing it's fingertips coming along as a bonus, and Agil received almost two weeks worth of gold in return.

He instantly put on his new equipment and grinned as the fit was, of course, perfect. Donning his new hood, they stepped out in the street.

"You should head over to Argo and ask her about the blacksmiths. She'll give the very best"

They parted with a handshake and Sand began to walk away. But he didn't come far before he heard:

"Oh right. I almost forgot!"

Jogging back, Agil motioned for him to halt.

Before he had a chance to say anything, Agil opened his system window and pressed a button.

**System Announcement: Player Agil wish to add you to his friend list**

**Do you accept? YES / NO**

Sand pressed **YES** and a small "Ping" confirmed it.

"If you like, my party has an empty slot that could use a fighter. Tell me tomorrow of your choice"

Parting for the second time, Agil waved and yelled :"By the way! The rat sent a request to me not too long ago, asking about information regarding a darkskinned dagger user. Any idea why?"

Sand turned his head to the side and shouted. "No, I don't. But I was planning on seeking her out next so I guess I'll find out soon right?"

"Yeah probably."

**Argo**

It had been a most profitable day. Some guy was apparently interested in buying an **Anneal Blade** that Ki-bou owned, and though he had declined, she had made a big sum of col just the pass the numerous requests forward.

_I wonder why they are so interested in Kirito-kun's sword alone. And for such a huge sum of money.._

But she had learned to suppress such thoughts. All that really mattered for Argo at the moment was the Col and information she could gather from the clients, and today she was in a very good mood. Leaning against the the wall that circulated an immense fountain in the centre of town, she closed her eyes and she nibbled on a piece of sweet flavoured candybar as she listened to the crowd that passed by.

Straining her ears, she rapidly stored everything she heard into her brain that could memorize everything she once heard. She had already overheard a party talking about a new quest that was rumoured to give a rare item to the first to complete it. Deeming it plausible and comparing it to earlier gathered info, she sent away a PM to a couple of clients that had paid good money to receive any rumours about such things. Of course, they all though they were the only one that bought the information but it mattered not to the rat, striking a profitable deal wherever she went. Satisfied with the money in the replies, she resumed her listening.

"Are you the one called Argo the Rat?"

Surprised, Argo quickly opened her eyes and looked to her left. Beside her, almost touching her coat, stood a figure, similarly leaning towards the wall. He wore dark clothes with high laced boots and a hood drawn over it's head. Restraining herself from flinching, she nodded slightly.

_How did he get so close without me noticing?_

Not recognising the player from before, she took a moment to estimate the value of his equipment and there maybe find a clue about the questioner. She eyed the pretty valuable cloak he wore and wondered if she should offer a deal, but then she saw a pair of ice-blue dots that pierced the darkness inside the hood. A memory of a previous request popped into her mind.

"I was told you deal with information involving almost anything. Is that true?"

Argo turned and faced the figure directly and with hands on her hips.

"Argo the Rat, at your service. I can find any piece of information regarding everything. If you want to know how, it will cost you 300 Col."

The man, for it was no question that was a female, chuckled and held up a gloved hand.

"No thanks. I just want to buy information. Do you have an extra guide book on you. If you do, I'd like to have one. And I would also like to know where to find the highest levelled blacksmith that can make daggers."

Argo did know that information, even without having to contact anyone, but she wanted to know if her suspicion about this man was correct so she stalled.

"If you want the book, it's 10 Col."

"What? It's sold for free over at the **Town of Beginnings**!"

"Yes, but this isn't that town. 10 Col."

Grumbling, he took out the sum and handed it over in exchange for the small book."

"Ok, that's the book. Now my other request, if you could be so kind"

Argo kicked an invisible rock in the dirt.

"Hmm, you know there are numerous blacksmiths out there and they are all constantly upping their skill. Finding out may be a bit difficult..."

As she spoke, she walked closer to the figure who didn't show anything that hinted he was suspected anything. Suddenly she leaped forward with a "SWOOSH" and grabbed his hood as she flew over his shoulder. Startled by the sudden move, the man had no time to react and he fell sprawling to the ground, now with his head out in the open.

"Ooof"

A muffled groan escaped the dark lips as his virtual lungs took a beating and left him temporarily breathless. Not backing down, Argo dashed up, sat comfortably on his stomach and eyes his facial features with great interest.

"Soo, what do we have here? A man that looks more like a darkelf NPC than a human, hmm? You know I have a client looking for you."

The man seemed too chocked to be angry as she felt tiny bursts of laughter playing beneath his skin.

"Yeah, so I've heard" He responded and smiled. "Can you tell me why, or will it cost me 100 Col? Though I suspect he paid you in advance to keep a lookout."

"_He catches on quickly"_ Argo thought and viewed him with some measure of respect.

"Pretty much" she replied with a sly wink.

The man shoved her of his belly and stood up,

"Then leave it. Now, about that blacksmith..."

"Ah, yes. The fine is 500 Col."

With a sigh, he gave her the money.

Chuckling at his discomfort, Argo gave him the information.

"I'll send her a PM with words of your arrival"

She also included her customary friend request which she gave to almost everyone.

"Never know when I might need to get a hold of you. Your hiding skill is very impressive if your able to sneak upon me like that." She winked and leaned back against the fountain wall.

The man accepted with an acknowledging nod, and an flashing icon confirmed the relationship.

**Player Sand has been added to your friend list.**

_Sand? That's a somewhat ambiguous name but I guess it suits him.._

The player Sand pulled up his hood, gave a slight bow towards Argo the Rat and departed towards the merchants district.

"Sand" Argo tasted the name. Shrugging, she put another piece of candy in her mouth and resumed her eaves-dropping, not wanting to miss a single piece of possible income of Col

**Sand**

_Well, that was an interesting meeting_" Sand mused as his strolled down towards the merchant area.

Unlike earlier today, it was now buzzing with life, more than usual. He recognized several players from the meeting that were checking out the latest goods, talking with each other and showing off their weapons. All eager towards tomorrow when they would face the first boss. Sand even sighted the bluehaired Diabel standing in one group, surprisingly talking with that Kibaou guy. He seemed to have calmed down just enough to interact with other people.

Sand's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for another player with an unusual haircolour. Argo's voice echoed in his mind.

"If you want a quality blade, go and talk to Lisbeth over at the merchant square. She's fairly new to the trade, but her enthusiasm and pretty looks attracted a lot of players who wanted repairs and gear. With those advantages, it's no surprise she evolved her smithing skill at an almost frightening level, so now she's unofficially ranked as the number one smith in the game. When you get there, look for a small girl with pink hair. There should also be a long line to her stall. There always is"

With those guidelines, it didn't take much time before Sand found his blacksmith. She stood in a corner of the market, showing off her wares on a wooden table with an anvil and a brazier behind, huffing out hot air and smoke towards the sky. Lisbeth was dressed in a simple leather apron with a small white ribbon that held the hair out of her face while adding a touch to he outfit. She was busy talking with a customer that seemed a little too entranced by her looks to be able to answer correctly. And, as Argo had assured him, there was a long line of waiting customers pacing the outer walls. He placed himself in the very back of the line, and waited.

Time passed slowly, and the cue shortened even slower. Luckily, it went right past an NPC sweet store, so he had the opportunity to buy some sour caramels he played with in his mouth to pass the time. One great thing about the virtual world was that no matter how much sweets and cakes you stuffed yourself with, you would never gain weight.

_One of the few"_ he though while he eyed the merchant girl. She seemed happy enough, always putting on a smile when she greeted each customer and the products she crafted from the raw material with her capable hands, was of very fine quality. It was worth the wait.

Finally, after several stalling customers walking away, it was Sand's turn. He walked forward and held out his hand for a polite shake. She shook it firmly with a strong grip that seemed ill matched with her small figure.

"Welcome! I am Lisbeth, your blacksmith. What can I do for you?" She greeted him with a customary smile.

"I believe you've been expecting me" Sand answered and tilted his hood back far enough so she could view his features.

She did not seem the least surprised. She only clapped her hands together and walked back to a large chest that stood in a corner.

"Oh yes, Argo told me about you. You were looking for a good dagger right? And maybe even a spare one as a safety measure? I have this one that's very..."

For the second time in one day, Sand found himself in the middle of a bargaining skirmish. Neither one of them were backing down an inch, and as time passed, the other customers behind him saw the spectacle and disappeared to another merchant one by one. Soon, only Sand remained in front of her store, a fact she didn't fail to point out to him. But eventually, they stroke a deal. Sand had already used up about half of his fortune on the new armour, and now he watched as the rest disappeared along with some pretty expensive craft materials as a payment for two succeeded upgrade attempts on his jacket and two daggers, one more expensive and one a bit cheaper that would serve as a good backup in case of emergencies.

It was a beautiful piece, his new main weapon. A long silver-edged blade, with small etchings of runes in the middle that crawled all the way from the tip to the hilt and over the dark wooden handle. Feeling the balance, Sand subconsciously initiated a **Slant** that cut through the evening glow like a blue ray of light. The **"Silver Rondell"** lay comfortably in his right hand, even considering that it was significantly longer than his previous one.

He smiled as it went into the blade without making a hint of a sound.

"Thank you. It's perfect."

The Next Day: 

Players stood in separate parties , talking with each other. Only one hooded figure stood alone, leaning against the wall with his. hands behind his back. His body tensed and an inevitable reaction forced him into action.

A huge yawn escaped the hood, bringing a chuckle from the closest party.

Sand ignored them, blinked the tiredness away and stretched his aching body. Had his skin been brighter, large black rings would've outlined his tired eyes almost like glasses. Since he'd figured that he needed to maximize his chances, Sand had returned to his little hole the night before where he had spent another night on the hard surface. But it seemed that his time in the tree had run out, because his skill had only increased by 30 – 40 points in about six hours. It was now **447 / 1000**, halfway from completion but the time it would take to fully master it was not even a quarter done. Not willing to spend one more night in there, he vowed to increase his skill with hard work from now on.

"Yo, Sand-kun" Agil walked over and imitated his posture against the tower wall. "You thought about my request?"

"Of course" Sand briefly presented his face under the hood, his expression alone showing his answer. The tall male also grinned and manipulated his system menu. A request popped up, which Sand accepted, and five separate HP-bars appeared under his own, each with their own name. Noticing the change, the other party members stopped talking with each other and walked over to where the duo was standing. There were four of them, three males and one female. One of the males, who was clad in a heavy steel armour and was constantly browsing his inventory, wore a large two-handed sword with it's hilt sticking up over his shoulder while the other two wore swords and shields, also on their backs. The female had no weapon equipped, at least not in plain sight.

"So you're our sixth member huh?" One of the swordsmen remarked. "Welcome, even though it's only for a brief moment. I'm Eilage, this is Aleryes and that swordwielder over there is Horian. Horian gave a slight nod and resumed his inventory check.

Sand shook hands with them all, and then turned towards the female, standing a bit further away from the group. "And you are?" he asked

She eyed him suspiciously, not seeming to trust him. She was a bit taller than him, with thick red hair that reached halfway down her back

"Yuuna" she replied, not taking her eyes of her.

"_She'd be kinda pretty, if not for that hostile look on her face"_ He mused

"Yuuna? It's a nice name" Sand masked his slight uneasiness by her hostility and bowed to them all. "My name is Sand, pleased to make your acquaintance" Tentatively at first but loosening up after a while, they began to discuss possible attack patterns to use against the boss.

"Sand, what's your weapon of choice?" Eilage asked. "Dagger" Sand replied and noted that Yuuna's eyes narrowed.

"Huh, you're a dagger user too? Just like Yuuna here!" Aleryes yelled. "What's your level?

"Uhm.." He hesitated slightly before answering "Eleven"

That rocked them back on their heels, made Yuuna and Aleryes gasp slightly, and even made Horian stop his browsing and come forward. "Eleven?" He asked sceptically as he eyed Sand from top to bottom. "You do know that the highest levelled players, including our own Agil here is around level eight or nine?"

He stared into Sand's eyes, or at least where he figured that Sand's eyes was, with a slight aggressive look.

"I don't like people who lies about themselves."

Sand was just about to take of his hood and match the glare, determined to not let anyone call him a liar, but before he had a chance, Diabel appeared with Kibaou at his heel, almost like a guarding dog.

"Alright everyone! It warms my heart to see so many faces filed with determination to beat this game. With this many players, we shouldn't have any difficulties. Any questions? Then lets head out."

He opened the tower door and entered along with his A-squad. Sand and his party was the F-squad, so they had to wait before it was their turn to enter. Agil lead his party with a calm reassuring voice, but noone was nervous since the mobs had all been killed by the parties ahead. Sand used this opportunity to check the **Guide Book** for information about the boss Diabel hadn't mentioned at the meeting. But it appeared that Diabel had summarized everything perfectly. Sand scanned through the pages and fell deep into the part about the mobs that worked as the main boss' minions. The **Ruin Kobolt Sentinel** would spawn at the beginning and each time one of the boss' four HP bars were depleted. The strategy was that the D, E and F groups would tackle the sentinels while the A, B, and C squads would face the boss. Sand's group was one of the support, so if everything went smoothly, he wouldn't even have to face the boss. "_hey, Sand?_" Eilage and Aleryes would block their attacks with their shields while Horian and Agil would deal out massive damage with their formidable twohanded weapons, "_Sand?_" while he and Yuuna would act as a safety, engaging mobs that would threaten to break the formation.

"SAND! ARE YOU DEAF? ANSWER ME DAMNIT!"

A sturdy boot connected to Sand's back, making him overbalance and fall facedown on the ground with the book still clutched to his outstretched hands. Standing over him stood a furious Yuuna, face red with anger and fists shaking at her sides.

"What the hell?" Sand blurted out and rose."Why did you do that for?"

Still angry, Yuuna did not back down. "I've been walking here for almost five minutes, trying to get a response from you. Do you have cotton wadding in that stupid hood of yours?"

"No, I don't" Was all he offered as a reply as he closed the **Guide Book** and stored it back into his inventory. "Well, you've got my full attention. What is it?" He walked back into the line with her stalking beside him.

"Oh, nothing important really. Don't bother yourself with replying to such a simple question that came from the unworthy mouth of Yuuna!"

Sand found himself having to quickly resist the urge to punch the girl in her midsection, but he halted his movement, somewhat reluctantly, when he realised that he was about to hit a girl. And besides, he was the newest member in the group, so maybe it was natural for Yuuna to attack him?

"Give me a break.. Just tell me already"

"Never mind!"

She stopped right in her track and let Eilage walk past before she resumed her pace, now walking besides Agil, who had a wide grin painted on his face. Eilage looked from Yuuna to Sand, and to Yuuna again. He didn't say anything, but it was very rare for Yuuna to show any interest at all regarding her fellow teammates outside of battle. He waved it away with the explanation that a shady guy like Sand, who hadn't showed his face to anyone except the leader, was sure to make her frustrated. The group had grown rather close despite only being together for little more than a day.. Eilage and Aleryes knew each other IRL so it was natural that they would be in the same group. Agil had recruited them to his party the previous day, which already consisted of him, Yuuna and Horian. And now they were six, the newcomer not even showing his real face and claiming to be ridiculously high level. Eilage did not know what to think, but Agil-san seemed to trust him so he figured it was alright.

After a while, the parties finally reached their destination that took the shape of a huge decorative door anchored in the wall of the towers top floor. Outside it, the A-squad halted and it's party leader spoke once more.

"Well here we are! There is no turning back now, but we will not falter here! We will free the players that huddles in the starting city, waiting for rescue to come! We must light a beacon of hope they can set their eyes on, a symbol of courage that will inspire them, drive their fear away and muster their spirit so they will have have the courage to join our ranks fused together, working together towards the ultimate goal of freedom!"

All the players cheered as he raised a fist up high, and then turned around and opened the door.

"Ready, CHARGE!

Screaming as one individual, the A-squad rushed through the door, quickly followed by the equally eager B-, and C-squad. D-, E-, and F-squads followed after, knowing their role as backup, much more quiet and organized. Sand paced his team, not sprinting only at half speed since his level ups had given him more skillpoints to distribute and he had used almost two thirds on AGI, and the rest he had divided evenly between STR and VIT.

When they finally entered the boss room, the room was already lit with torches and heavy bangs echoed between the pillars that paced the outer perimeter. Sand crouched low and drew his **Silver Rondell**, and motioned for Agil to come closer.

"The guide book said that the sentinels will spawn at the boss' feet right? If I can get to the shadows by the pillars, I can surprise attack them before they even reach us." he whispered as the banging grew stronger with each note.

Agil quickly looked around. "You really think you can handle them? They are strong!" he whispered. Sand nodded and was moving away before the tall man had a chance to protest. He dived behind the pillar and activated his Hiding at precisely the same moment at **Illfang the Kobolt Lord** made it's entrance.

Standing over ten feet tall, it was covered with a thick red-black fur that covered it's entire body except the head that presented a large fanged mouth with gold-red eyes peering out above. Around it, three sentinels spawned and led the charge towards the waiting party. As part of the strategy, one member each in squads D, E and F then used a **Howl** one their sentinel, drawing its attention to the side where the rest of the party waited, leaving the route to the boss clear. A, B and C-squad, lead by Diabel, rang forward and launched their attack on the boss, who responded with his own arsenal consisting of a large axe and a buckler. Another blade could be seen behind it's back. It was the **Talwar** it would pull out during the last HP bar.

Sand watched it all and measured his opponent that were rushing towards his squad, following a route that would take it very close to the pillar where Sand hid. The **Hiding** skill did not work on opponents such as floor bosses, but its minions however, that was a different story. Crouching behind the stone and with his **Silver Rondell** resting in his right hand, Sand waited until the sentinel was almost past him. Not wanting to risk the chance of a retaliate, Sand quickly leaped after the mob and sunk his dagger into the unprotected flesh between its helmet and armour. The dagger gleamed with an venomous green hue as it dug in deep and severed the virtual spine, being prodded further on by the **Fatal Stab** skill. The **Ruin Kobolt Sentinel** let out a tiny gurgle before it crashed down to the ground where it shattered into a million polygons.

Sand did not notice it, but one polygon in particular flew upwards and into his hood, briefly illuminating his face and reflection it's light in his blue orbs.

**Yuuna**

_Grrr, why did Agil have to invite this guy? _Yuuna looked at the hooded figure that walked beside her, seemingly captivated by the **Guide Book**.

Not only had he lied about his level, he wouldn't even show his face to anyone! What a selfish jerk! She watched his back as he strolled in front of her, amazingly keeping his footing and matching the groups pace.

_Or maybe he's just trying to get accepted?_

Yuuna felt a sting of guilt. She hadn't considered that possibility before. Assume he was a weak player, not wanting for anyone to know, and therefore masking himself beyond recognition and lying about his level, though it had been a bit exaggerated.

_I should ask him if everything's okay..._

"hey Sand?" She blurted out. If he had heard her, he didn't show it. "Sand!?" No response. Unable to control her building anger, Yuuna leaped forward and landed a flying kick on his jacket.

"SAND! ARE YOU DEAF? ANSWER ME DAMNIT!"

Sand, gasping in surprise, fully absorbed the force of the impact and fell facedown on the floor. Pleased with her handiwork, Yuuna clenched her fists with triumph and glared at him.

"What the hell?" He blurted out and rose."Why did you do that for?"

Still angry, Yuuna did not back down. How dared he accuse her like that?!

"I've been walking here for almost five minutes, trying to get a response from you. Do you have cotton wadding in that stupid hood of yours?"

"No, I don't" He closed the **Guide Book** and stored it back into his inventory. "Well, you've got my full attention. What is it?" He walked back into the line with her stalking beside him.

_Oh, now he is acting as he's all innocent. Great!_

"Oh, nothing important really. Don't bother yourself with replying to such a simple question that came from the unworthy mouth of Yuuna!"

Sand seemed to freeze in place for a second, and suddenly Yuuna felt a bad vibration going through her spine.

_Did I go too far?_

But luckily, his posture quickly unfroze and started to move forward again. A forced voice came out from the hood.

"Give me a break.. Just tell me already"

"Never mind!"

They were now in the **Boss Room**, nervously brandishing their weapons and checking their surroundings for the source of the bangs that seemed to quickly grow louder and louder. Yuuna held on to her small dagger and scanned the area for her party members. In the front stood Eilage and Aleryes with their shields cocked up into position and swords in hand. Behind them, pacing a small outer perimeter, was Agil and Horian with their huge weapons held in an iron grip. And Sand was there too, crouching low far to the side and motioning for Agil to come. They exchanged whispers and then Sand nodded and sped away, further into the room. Yuuna almost screamed at his foolishness, but Agil held up a warning hand as she opened her mouth. "Don't worry" He assured her. "He'll be fine"

Yuuna almost kicked him too, but held her foot in place. "Fine?! He's going to get himself killed!"

"Just wait and see. I want to see this, but if it turns ugly, remember that you are the fastest amongst us, so it's your task to save him if he can't handle it."

_Great, juust great..._

She shot a glare mixed with anger, frustration and slight concern towards the darting figure just as he skidded to a halt in the shadow of a pillar. Suddenly, with a roar that seemed to shake the very bones in Yuuna's body, **Illfang** and it's minions appeared. Focusing on the sentinel furthest to the right, Horian lifted his sword and initiated **Howl** which effectively turned the mob's full attention towards him. He then leaped back as Eilage and Aleryes leaped up and made a steel barrier with their shields. They started to move forward, but Agil held them in check, motioning for them to wait.

Yuuna tensed her grip around the daggers hilt as she saw the **Rune Kobolt Sentinel** charge towards them,

But appearing seemingly out of nowhere, a silent figure appeared, wielding a beautiful silver dagger that gleamed a bright green. With only a slight hiss, the blade dug into the monster's neck all the way to the hilt. The creature gave up a small growl before it collapsed and exploded into a myriad of gleaming polygons.

In the centre of that explosion stood Sand. The flashes of light coming from the destroyed beast repelled the darkness within his hood, exposing long silvery hair, a dark-skinned face with sharp features that surrounded a pair of icingly cold orbs that seemed to look straight at Yuuna, who, along with her party members except Agil, let out a gasp of surprise.

**Sand**

He walked back towards his party, not noticing their uneasiness. They did not say a single word as he resumed his position next to Yuuna, who looked like she had just seen a ghost. "Is something wrong?" he asked her tentatively, not wanting to receive another kick from that dreaded boot.

Yuuna replied with a slight shake of her head. Desperately wanting to ask him about that skill, for she did not know any sword skill that glowed green, she could not find the words. She started blushing , still seeing the face that hid within the hood. Luckily, Agil came to her rescue.

"Damn, Sand! You didn't leave anything for us! That's not fair at all!" He yelled as he turned his attention from the other fights to him.

"Aahh, my apologies. Didn't think of that.. Tell you what, I'll let you have the next one" Sand responded with a hand scratching his head. You could feel the invisible childish smile that followed with the words.

That feeling quickly disappeared when Horian also abandoned his position and faced Sand. "That..." he began. " I think I owe you an apology.. Sorry for calling you a liar earlier" A hand slowly stretched towards Sand, who shook it. "Apology accepted" he answered, causing both their bodies to relax.

"Watch out!" Agil shouted. "Here comes the second one!"

The second sentinel was an identical twin to it's predecessor, but this time the F-squad worked together to finish it off, shielding the damage with Eilage and Aleryes and attacking with Agil and Horian, sometimes giving ground to let Yuuna or Sand slash at it's exposed flesh. Without the critical damage bonus from hiding, and the **Fatal Stab** skill, these mobs were much harder to engage so it took much longer for them to finish it off. But Agil ended the struggle with a swift cleave with his axe, using the sword skill **Heavy Strike** to finish the job.

The third Kobolt shared the same fate.

"Okay, it's down on the last HP-bar now. Everybody stand back. I'll deliver the finishing strike!" Diabel shouted as the boss threw away its weapons and reached behind its back to the hidden blade. Not knowing the correct shape of a talwar, Sand did not notice anything unusual until a voice cut through the hall.

"NO! QUICKLY JUMP BACK AS FAR AS YOU CAN!"

Tearing his eyes from the monster, Sand saw a blackhaired swordsman charging at the boss. But he didn't make it, and Diabel screamed in horrifying agony as the large weapon sliced through his stomach. The charging swordsman initiated a **Vertical** that interrupted the boss' attack, and leaped back with Diabel in his arms.

"Everybody attack the boss! Help them!" Agil roared as he charged the mob, axe high over his head and with players quickly following behind.

"C'mon!" Sand shouted to Yuuna. "We gotta help Diabel!"

Not waiting for a reply, he grabbed her hand, and sprinted at full speed over to the blackhaired swordsman who tried to give a healing potion to the fallen knight. But strangely, Diabel refused it and they all watched in horror on his HP that reached zero. With a cling, Diabel the Knight disappeared exactly as the sentinels had.

Sand turned to Yuuna, whose eyes had widened at the shock, and buried her face in his shoulder. The sudden motion knocked his hood back and his hair fell down as a silvery web around her.

"Don't look" he whispered. "Do not look." She seemed to loose control there, and silent tears seeped into the cloth, making it soaking wet. Sand held his left arm around her while he pointed his right arm, still holding the **Silver Rondell**, towards the boss.

"You are going to pay!" He let go of Yuuna and ran towards the kobolt lord in a blinding rage.

The swordsman was way ahead of him. Calling out to his only partymember, who was a girl wielding a blue rapier, the pair engaged the boss with a fury that even surpassed Sand's. Not able to match their skill, the rest of the clearing group could only watch in awe as the girl with chestnut hair created a small opening in the boss' defence, but it was enough to the swordsman who screamed and sliced the boss in two with a **Slant** that finally depleted the last HP bar and made the boss explode with a deafening "PING". The words "_**Congratulations!**_" appeared in thin air over the boy's head.

All was silent. Then the hall erupted with cheers from the surviving players. Sand didn't participate in them, instead he walked back to the shivering Yuuna and embraced her in a comforting hug. "All is well now" He whispered at her trembling body. "We survived."

"But... Diabel..." was her reply

Not knowing what to say, he only hugged tighter, desperate to silence her sobs.

"WHY?!" a scream echoed through the hall, silencing the cheers. It was Kibaou, with tears in his eyes.

"Why did you let Diabel die?!" he accused the blackhaired player.

"Let him die?"

"Of course! You knew that technique the boss used! If you'd told us about that up front, he wouldn't have died!

Murmurs of suspicion began. Everybody looked from the lone swordsman to Kibaou. One brownhaired player wielding a crude spear shot out his finger.

"He must be a beta tester! That's why he knew all the boss's attack patterns. He knew, but he didn't tell us! Kibaou let out a small snort as the player continued.

"Other beta testers are here, too, right? Come out!"

Those words were the final crack in the already crumbling teamwork. Everybody backed away, viewing each other with great suspicion. Sand realised that they were looking for a scapegoat, and he quickly put his hood back on and led Yuuna over to Agil, who seemed to understand. If they started pointing finger at him, Sand did not want Yuuna to be caught up in it.

Suddenly, the whole hall was filled with a cold laughter. It was the blackhaired boy who had killed the boss.

"A beta tester? I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies."

"W..What?!" Kibaou blurted out.

The still chuckling boy slowly walked towards him. "Most of the thousand beta testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up. You guys are better than they are!"

"But I am not like them" he continued. "I made it higher than anyone during the beta test. The reason I knew the boss's skills I because I fought monsters with katana skills on floors far above us."

_Katana skills? So it wasn't a Talwar after all_

"I know a lot more. Way more than any informant broker." He declared

Kibaou seemed paralyzed. "W-What? That's... That's way worse than a beta tester! You're cheating! A cheater!

Now having found their scapegoat, Sand could only watch as the crowd began to hurl insults towards the boy.

"Cheater!"

"Beta tester!"

"A beta tester and a cheater.. A Beater!"

The boy did not show that he was hurt by the remarks as he continued to smile.

"A beater.. I like it. That's right. I'm a beater. From now on, don't confuse me with the other players" He opened his inventory and materialized a black coat that hung from his shoulders down to his ankles. He turned and walked coldly towards the exit gate, but he was halted by his former teammate.

Sand realized that this might be his only chance to talk with this mysterious boy, so he activated his **Hiding** in the now dimly lit room and eased himself along the wall to the exit, unnoticed by everyone except one. Yuuna followed him with her eyes, a black blur against the wall. She wanted to go to him, but Agil held her firm, misinterpreting her intentions. Sand quietly opened the door and slipped through just as the blackhaired swordsman said to the girl with chestnut hair. "You will be really strong, so if someone you trust even invites you to a guild, don't turn them down. There's a big limit of what you can do as a solo player."

The girl only replied. "Then what about you?"

Sand saw her concerned face and was filled with sympathy. But he regained his posture as the black boy entered the room, door closing behind him.

"Why did you do it?" Sand asked softly. Kirito, for it was Kirito in front of him but that was unknown to Sand, was too caught up in to sad moment to be surprised, replied.

"It is better this way. Now they will focus their anger on me instead of each other." Pain now seeped through his facade and he turned towards the portal that would transport him to the next floor.

"You don't have to do this alone!" Sand blurted out. "Not everyone feels like that idiot Kibaou, you know."

Kirito did not look at him.

"Thank you, but I'm a solo player after all"

He quietly walked into the circle of light and was instantly teleported to the second floor. Sand stood for a moment and viewed the point where Kirito had disappeared, shook his head and followed after.

_One step closer to freedom. But at what cost?_

* * *

I might take a short break with the writing, or maybe not. Depends if I come up with a some new ideas. :)

Peace out!


	5. Chapter 5 Disciple

It was a strange feeling, being disassembled and reassembled down to the smallest fragment that together formed a person. A teleportation did not occur instantly, but instead the transport started at the feet and worked it's way up to the head. It was strange mentally as well, having the five senses take in information about the surrounding, before they were overwhelmed with completely new scents, sounds and views. That was the journey Sand experienced at the moment.

Tiny electric currents travelled under his skin, forcing his muscles to execute tiny spasms that was almost like a second-long massage. For a moment, he just stood still and let the sensation play out fully, before it died away, too soon for his liking. His right leg, where the **Silver Rondell** lay in rest, and his chest which was covered with a supple chainmail, tingled slightly longer where the metal sent small shocks into his skin. He absently scratched his chin as the feeling faded then disappeared as well.

Before him was a welcome sight after having spent hours in the dark, cold tower dungeon.

His laced boots touched the cold surface of a small platform made of granite stone. To his left was a mountain, where the main capital **"Urbus City" **resided within. According to the **Guide Book**, the city was inside the mountain, lying in the huge man-made crater that spanned over 3 km. It left only a thin mountain layer ,acting as wall and keeping the rest of the world out. To his right, endless plains of grass and forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Large cattle walked around in peace with their mouths in the ground, feeding on the green grass. A warm breeze touched his cheek and made his long hair flow out behind him. Following close by, small seeds and green leaves flew past his face, only visible as shadows on the ground and the touch as they brushed against his dark skin. It was simply marvellous.

Sand scanned the area for the dark-haired boy who had gone into the gate before him, but there was no sign of him. The only things that were moving was the tree branches and the slow animal mobs.

_He must've gone into the city to open the main teleportation gate. Oh well.._

Deeming this place as a safe zone, Sand stretched his tired limbs and eased himself down in the grass, hands tucked comfortably behind his head. He would venture out on this floor with the other players, battling monster for his life, grinding for loot and trying to level up, as he had done on the previous and will do on the next one. Living that life for little over a month, it did not seem as intimidating as it had on the first day. The dangerous events had merged together in his mind, becoming just another day in his life. But that life could wait an hour or two, for the weather was too fine and the grass too soft and inviting for him to simply ignore their calls. Laying partially in the shadow of a stone pillar, he let guard down for the first time in weeks. With birds' mild song in his ears and the scent of grass in his mind, Sand closed his eyes and simply enjoyed existing as a being.

"Hey guys! Come look over here."

A voice tore Sand from his peaceful sleep and he slightly opened one eye to view his surroundings. The sun had moved a few paces in the horizon, but everything seemed normal, except for the player that stood at his feet. A teenage boy it was, sword in hand but hanging weakly at his side. His eyes was focused on Sand, and he seemed confused over something. Unwilling to abandon his spot, Sand closed his eye and hoped that the boy wouldn't say anything more disturbing. That hope quickly disappeared when more voices approached, two masculine and one feminine.

"What is it? Have you found somethi-... Oh?" The girl halted the question as she saw the resting figure. "Who is this?" she asked before her voice was replaced with boots moving cautiously over grass.

"I do not know.." the armed teenager replied tentatively. "But it's in a safe zone so it can't be a monster. Is it an NPC?"

That remark almost made Sand loose his relaxed look. He had to pinch the soft skin on his palm as he fought hard to hinder the silent chuckles from building into laughter. Luckily, the group didn't notice his struggle as they continued.

"Hmm, it might be. Lets try and talk to him and see what he says!"

"But he has a cursor over his head! What if he's a player, and we wake him from his sleep?"

"Really? Oh, he DOES have a cursor over his head"

"Told you so!"

"He may have a cursor, but it's probably not a player" A new voice interrupted. "I mean, look at him! I haven't seen any player with black skin before, have you?"

Murmurs of agreement followed. Sand wondered if he should take a risk and scare them all to death by leaping up and scream right in their faces. It was a very tempting idea and he was ready to spring up, but halted as the girl spoke again.

"No, let's leave him be. He doesn't have a quest marker so it won't give us EXP, and therefore not worth wasting time on."

"He sure looks comfortable though.." On of the guys remarked with longing in his voice.

"We leave" was all the girl said before she walked away and, by the sound of it, drew her weapon. Sighing, the trio followed after and Sand was finally able to open his eyes. Burying his mouth in his arm to strangle the sound, he shook with laughter as he watched the party walk away, not looking back.

_An NPC?! I gotta try that in a city sometime!_

He rose, still entertained by the event, and checked his equipment. His health was back at full health, the **Silver Rondell's** durability was still over half full and in his pack were two emergency healing potions. No need to go into the city just yet. With his dagger in hand, and energy replenished by the short nap, Sand walked onward, eager to explore this new floor.

_Hours later:_

The horn plunged into his exposed side, taking away roughly 30 % of his HP. Sand clenched his teeth at the pain and rolled to the side, trying to regain his posture. The bull charged on, relentlessly, tirelessly, furiously. Smoke blew out from it's nose in big huffs and puffs, eyes gleaming with red hate. It was berserking, ignoring pain and health completely as it's only goal was to plunge it great horns into Sands flesh, or crush him to death with it's sheer weight. It ate the grass that grew on the open plains, and was therefore almost impossible to sneak upon with a lack of places to hide in the area. Sand had tried though, carefully creeping forward with the agility and silence of a great hunting panther, but the bull had lifted it's great head, eyed it's surroundings and spotted him before he'd come close enough to use his **Fatal Stab.** And now, he was in dire trouble. Dagger were a bad choice to use against opponents with high DEF and ATK and this **Trembling Ox** was being a real pain in the ass, ignoring the small stabs and cuts from his dagger.

Normally, Sand would've analysed it and focused his attacks on the weak points. Problem was that the only weak points he could find was the neck, and those horns would surely catch him if he dared too close. A quick look on his HP meter, now in the yellow zone, reminded him of that. A player with a high STR could've maybe caught it between it's horns and halted the ox in it's tracks, but Sand was not even close to that STR value yet. So, without any possible counter measures, he had only found one solution:

Evade it's charge and stab the rump as it passes, chop down the HP piece by piece. It was time consuming, dangerous and monotonous but Sand did not back down. A couple of times, he'd gotten the **Sidestep Counter Bonus Damage,** but it was hard to let those huge points narrowly miss you, and he wanted safety over speed. Sand dived into another roll as it charged once more, bellowing a great "MOOOOHH!" They had been at it for almost ten minutes, and the big ox's HP was finally down to the red zone. It halted by digging its hooves into the soil, whipping up a cloud of dust. Sand was eager to finish this one, so when the final charge began, he stood his ground with dagger cocked into the starting position for a **Vertical** slash. The ox ran towards it's doom, but when in berserk-mode, it wouldn't have cared even if it had intelligence. The **Silver Rondell** traced a bright blue arc as it descended into the approaching head, piercing though the hard skull bone and removing the last chunk of HP from the **Trembling Ox**. It died with a final angry "MOOOH" that ended in a high-pitched shriek before it shattered into shining polygons. Breathing heavily from the adrenaline and the physical strain, Sand fell down on his back and tried to regain his calm.

"_That-.. was too close for my liking... "_He produced a healing herb from his inventory and consumed it to increase the healing rate. He had fought his way south, engaging **Tremble Cows** that did not seem much of a challenge with their slow movements. Problem was, that this mobs had not been a cow, but an ox. A great raging **Trembling Ox**, with agility almost as high as himself, and a body almost three metres tall and great hooves that dug into the soil wherever it's hooves touched the ground. Now, on the last plain before the floor map ended with impenetrable edges consisting of cliffs and unscaleable mountains.

"_It would be nice if I could increase my HP regeneration somehow"_ he thought as he munched on the herb. Figuring it to be worth investigating, he opened the **Guide Book** and searched the index for the right category. Finding it with some difficulty, he scrolled to the right page and read

_**Battle Healing**_

_Every character has an automatic **Battle Healing** skill, which will engage at the moment the player's HP is decreased. When that occurs, the skill will heal the player a specific number of health points with a ten-second interval. To upgrade the skill and the amount of healing points, the players HP must go down into the red zone due to a damage that is not caused by the individual's own weapon. Players that intends to upgrade this skill is advised to proceed with extreme caution, as the red zone is a only 15 % of your full health. Known tactics for this is to venture out with a party and immediately switch when a players HP goes into the red zone, thus decreasing the chance of a casualty. Be advised, this skill is not entirely reserved for players, but also for various monsters and even floor bosses._

"_That's-.. tough.." _Sand closed the book and looked at his health bar which had replenished during the time he'd read. He gazed over the plain where several more **Trembling Ox** and **Trembling Cow's** walked. So to increase his healing rate or **Battle Healing** as the book called it, he'd have to repeatedly become critically injured. The image of the huge horn that had pierced his side and stolen his HP taunted him and chilled his heart,

"_I'll just have to try and evade all attacks before they hit me" _Easy to say but almost impossible to achieve. But he would have to try, Sand realised. He'd made a promise on the first day, to never give up and to become strong; strong enough to free the players imprisoned and reunite with his family. But that path involved pain, horror, death and Sand was not eager to follow it. A voice from the past echoed in his head:

"A man must never back down on his word! Keeping a promise is what makes a great character!"

Sand almost smiled at that memory, remembering the confidence and pride that had seemed to radiate from his grandfather, so focused on honour and justice. His grandfather was old, even delirious sometimes, but he had still taken those two sentences to heart, trying his best to keep every promise he made, and always repent for those he couldn't keep. He could almost hear his grandfathers voice, scolding him for being scared.

"What are you doing boy? Taking a a little fancy nap in the grass? Afraid of a little pain and hard labour are we? When I was young, we would beg people to work hard, because we knew that we'd be rewarded for the labour afterwards! And if the work got too hard, we just stepped back, spat in our hands and worked even harder dammit! Damn, people had character back in the old days, CHARACTER I TELL YOU!Not like these days when kids are pitiful sodadrinkers and obsessed with these stupid imaginary games that doesn't mean a rats ass in the real world! A true offspring from my loins would work hard every single second for a chance to be reunited with his kinsman! Now, are you my real grandson that I know and love, or are you someone else that's too scared to face his fears like a MAN?! Get up son, and show the world that you will not surrender to anything!

YOU HEAR ME?!

Even if the voice was only in his head, Sand felt his courage build up. It felt strange, knowing that his grandfather had been a victim to cancer, but he found comfort in the though that his spirit may very well be watching over his right now. "I will not fail you grandpa. I promise.." he whispered to the wind, eyes moist with empathy. He wiped his face his eyes with the back of his hand, and stood up. "Thank you for watching over me, even here"

Now, he was not scared any more. He was ashamed that he had his fear overpower his resolve but determined to make up for lost time. He scanned the area for a target, and found one in the shape of another ox. Fortunately, it hadn't noticed him yet. If it had, Sand would've been assaulted with great wall of flesh and muscles, charging at him at top speed.

Sand, now filled with determination instead of dread, pulled out three **Throwing Pics**, set his focus on the tight neck and pulled his hand back. The system processed the given information and acknowledged the request, making the three pics glow and starting the motion for the throwing skill **Triple Shot.** The damage from a throwing pic was minimal, even with a triple throw, but the **Triple shot** had a chance of creating a critical hit that dealt double damage. Sand had found a way to exploit that damage, and he hastily activated his **Hiding** and let the system take over the action. When you attacked a monster while in hiding, it gave a critical damage bonus, but the rate varied with the damage that the weapon chosen could inflict. The **Throwing pic** had a pathetic damage ratio, but with the **Triple Shots** chance of a critical hit, the weapon hitting a weak point plus the hidden bonus, those damage numbers could actually get up pretty high.

Three streaks of blue left his hand and three streaks of blue hit the ox right in the weak point. Startled and suddenly with 20 % less HP, it jumped straight up with a surprised "MOOH?!" before it spun around and began it's thunderous charge.

Sand drew his trusted **Silver Rondell, **watched it's approach and crouched his legs, now only eager to get the fight over with. The bull roared, lowered it's head with the magnificent set of horns pointing towards him. Suddenly, Sand quickly sprung to the right, rolled and landed on all four. The ox would not be fooled and it whipped it's great head to the side, turning the forward piercing movement into a sudden horizontal slash! But that was anticipated by Sand, who grabbed the thick grass with his empty left and dove the opposite direction of his initial movement, directly under the slashing pair and right by in front of the trampling hooves, escaping the danger with only a few inches to spare. Unable to follow the rapid movement, the ox plowed on, planning to halt further away and begin a new charge. The blackskinned warrior had other plans, and he made those clear as soon as his hands touched the ground on the ox's left side. Bending his arms, he halted his movement and. with a strength that seemed ill-matched to the small body, he tightened his muscles and pushed himself up in the air, performing a reversed somersault with an angle that diagonally crossed the ox's straight path. He spun a half circuit while raising his hands up over the head, and then instantly, with his body flying in an arch almost horizontally to the ground below, he drove them down with a twohanded **Stab** that traced a yellow line in the air. With a mixed reflection of sunlight and blue haze, the **Silver Rondell** dug deeply into the **Trembling Ox,** right behind the thick skull where it found the weak neck. The unexpected drove the **Trembling Ox** into a frenzy, kicking wildly with it's rear legs and mooing a few octaves higher than usual, sounding like it's testicles had been crushed by a large hammer.

It hopped, reared sideways, almost tipped over, zig zagged and spun around in a fraction of a second and still, Sand stood with his boots firmly planted on it's back, frantically trying to keep his balance while he drove the dagger further into the flash and cutting the gash longer and longer. The ox issued a final cry of agony before it crushed to the ground and coming to an abrupt halt as it's great horns dug deeply into the ground. Unable to halt his momentum and with his dagger ripped from the wound, Sand flew through the air and landed a few metres ahead, hands and feet sprawling out to the sides and head now brown with dirt. He quickly got up and jumped to the side to avoid a possible retaliation from the ox. It was an unnecessary movement, as the ox was in no position to move, and even if it had, the previously powerful legs was drained of all strength. One final breath was took before it's eyes lost their glowing hate and was replaced with cold stillness.

The shattering sound that followed was as sweet as angelic choir. He clenched his fist and shot it straight up in the air.

"I PROMISE, GRANDPA!" He shouted before he collapsed, needing a minute to let the adrenaline leave his system.

Sand walked aimlessly over the field, now completely cleaned with monsters. Since the cows and oxen was pretty difficult, they did not respawn for quite some time, thus leaving Sand without a purpose. He had tackled each monster with equal enthusiasm, bringing them down with a mixture of extreme agility, determination and a set of daggers. He had switched to his secondary dagger, not wanting to loose his beautiful **Silver Rondell** if it's durability reached zero. Sand also regretted his decision to venture out into the field not stopping in the city and checking if there was a quest for the challenging domestic animals. He would've gained much more EXP that way, but it was too late now.

Putting his last piece of candy from **Horunka City** in his mouth, Sand noticed a high cliff on map edge that stood out from the usual sort, producing large horizontal cracks. Sand walked closer and acting on a spark of curiosity, he grabbed the first foothold and started to climb. He slowly made his way upward, enjoying the challenge and thinking more and more that the designer had intended someone to climb here. At one point he had to jump sideways, catching the next hold with only one hand but now fully enjoying himself, Sand did not stop to wonder how high he had ventured and if the drop down would kill him. Finally, he reached the top and pulled himself up, only to face the entrance of a small cave. He was now filled with curiosity and the sight proved his theory further. There was something at the end of this cave! Something hidden! He drew his spare dagger, activated his **Hiding** **Skill** and walked into the darkness.

In there, the sun was replaced by something known as "Dungeon Darkness" meaning that no lightsource was available, but still the cave walls was filled with a gray hazy light. Creeping along the wall, he occasionally sneaked up on lone mobs that patrolled the area. Their race was new to him as they resembled something between a bull and a man.

_Minotaurs?!_ He thought as his **Fatal Stab** turned them from flesh to fireworks. Whatever they were, they gave good loot and EXP. At one point, he was detected and the minotaur drew forth a huge axe, which it swiped mercilessly towards Sand. He bent low, letting the blade swish over his head before he stepped forward, within the beasts guard, and unleashed a combo of stabs that ended with a **Vertical**, before the bull-man regained his posture and thrust out the axe handle, forcing him back. With a roar, resembling

Sand eventually found the end of the cave, taking the shape of a large river that flowed rapidly into real darkness. He stopped and considered the chances of it being a trap or a dead end, but shook his head. He would finish this.

Sheathing his dagger and bending low, he made his way into the river with the intention to walk downstream. He hadn't considered that the riverbed would be clad in slippery moss. His boots could not find a foothold and down he went, swiftly swept along by the fast moving stream. Rocks pounded his backside, offering no escape when the water soaked his hair and clothes, weighing him down. Suddenly, bright sunlight and warmth replaced the cold darkness as the cave stream came out of the mountain and into a small clearing, flowing down into a large pond. Sand fought his way to shore where he collapsed and tried to cough the water out of his lungs. Now eyeing his surroundings between the coughs, he noticed that he had arrived to a small canyon, similar to the one that housed **"Urbus City"** though on a slightly smaller scale. A lone tree stood in the centre next to a small hut made of large logs and straw tied together as a roof. Not knowing what to think, Sand did the only thing reasonable. He walked over to the hut, opened the door and peered inside. Sitting in the middle of the room on a tatami mat was a male NPC, deep in meditation. His cheeks produced a thick beard strongly in contrast with his slick bald head. Over his head was a **[?],** indication that he had a quest to give. Sand walked forward until he stood before the monk, who opened his eyes and asked:

"Thou wishes to be a disciple?"

"Uhm... I guess" Sand replied tentatively, knowing that he was accepting the quest.

"Even though there be a long and steep road of training?"

Remembering the vow to his grandfather, Sand did not back down."

"I wish to be a disciple."

The questionmark reformed from a **[?] **into a **[!]** as the quest was accepted, and the man rose, motioned for Sand to follow before he walked out of the hut and over to a large stone that stood roughly two metres tall.

"Thine training is just one. Splitting this rick using only thy palms. Once thou have succeeded, I shall teach thee all my knowledge. Until this rock is split, leaving this mountain is forbidden. And thou hast to demonstrate it in front of me."

The monk now reached within his robe and produced a bottle of ink and a fine brush. Before Sand could react, the man's hand dipped the brush into the ink and with a lightning fast movement, he drew three lines on Sand's left and right cheek.

"That "Mark" cannot be removed until thou hath split this rock and finished the training. I believe in thee, my disciple." He walked back into the hut, while Sand stood frozen in place.

_I-.. cannot leave until I break a freaking rock with my bare hands?! What the hell is this?!_

Sand scampered over to the pond and eyed his face with terror. Whiskers, bright white whiskers covered his face, giving him a sort of catlike appearance. He looked like a male version of Argo the Rat, and that was more than a little disturbing. He tried to wash them away, rubbing furiously on the marks with water in his hands, but they did not fade one bit. It seemed like the ink took the opposite colour of the subjects skin, otherwise they should've only been barely visible. After perhaps five minutes of struggle, he realised the futility.

_It's no use.._

Not knowing what to do, he rose and went back to the stone where he removed his glove and smacked it once. And again. And again. He turned his body, letting his other hand join the fight. He removed his jacket and wore only his pants as he smacked the stone, again and again. "Thud, thud,thud, thud" He found a rhythm in the blows, tuning to it and letting his blows fall in one continuous stream that followed a solid tempo. Sweat formed on his forehead, but he did not notice it. The stone was an obstacle, a thing that prevented him from reaching his goal. The impacts vibrated through his bones, each one resonating greatly and making him shudder slightly. "Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud" For hours he stood, loosing track of the time. Before he knew it, the moon shone on the stone, making it slightly brighter.

"My disciple, thou must rest and regain thine strength. Tomorrow when the sun rises, thou will test thine determination once more." Sand was too tired to notice, but the monk led him into his house and laying him down on a soft mattress where he instantly fell asleep.

The next day, Sand awoke by the chattering sound of birds and the soft murmurs from the stream. It took a moment for him to remember why he was asleep in a small house with a bald monk sitting by his side, pouring up some herb tea from a pot

"Awaken, my disciple. Drink this potion, for it shall strengthen thine limbs and remove any fatigue from thine previous ordeals."

Sand took the cup he was offered and sipped on the contents within. It was very good, a mixture between lemon and an unfamiliar taste that filled him with renewed strength. He stood up and folded the blanket neatly on the bed before he walked out, cup still in hand, on the front porch. He stood there for a moment, drinking the liquid and basked in the sunlight. Then it was time to take action. The shielded area was not a spawn point for mobs, so he didn't even care to check his surroundings. However, before he resumed his struggle, Sand equipped a small band of cloth which he used to tie his long thick hair into a ponytail. The sun warmed his bare back as he started pounding the stone, one stroke at the time. He used the same pace as the day before, but he realised soon that the tea had brought him back to full capacity, and even beyond that. Increasing the pace, the thuds soon sounded twice as fast, slowly brining down the stone's durability. Minutes grew into hours, and Sand kept the pace up, even as his breath became small gasps of air. Twice, he walked over to the pond to fill a canteen with water to occasionally take a sip or simple splash some of it's contents in his face before he pressed on. As the sun settled in the west, Sand could distinguish tiny cracks in the before smooth surface. He wore a tired smile on his face as the old man led him to his quarters.

Midday of the third day. Sand punched and punched the stone, now being rewarded with tiny crackling noises that increased with each swing. Eager to finally be done with his task, Sand drew his clenched fist back and shot forward, putting all his strength in the final punch. A large "CRACK" echoed through the area, but nothing else happened. The stone stood as before, not backing down an inch.

"_haah... haahh... That was-... all I had left..."_ Sand collapsed by the stone, unable to move. He had failed. He had broken his vow. Shame rose up into his head, and he felt tears seeping into his eyes.

_I, can't do it..._

He looked at the stone, seemingly impossible to break. If only he'd been stronger! Frustrated, he gave the stone a small kick in defiance. It's answer came directly, splitting in two pieces and shattering in a myriad of colourful polygons. He simply gaped as soft footsteps came closer and a big hand fell down on his shoulder.

"Well done my disciple, thou art now worthy of learning the knowledge I hold." The monk closed his eyes, and a faint light began to glim, inside his head! It travelled from the head, down past the thick veins in his neck and along his arm, disappearing for a second and then continuing it's journey up to Sands head, who though it felt similar to being teleported. He felt a slight tingling on his cheek as the whiskers slowly faded away. A small window opened in his HUD but he ignored it for the moment, eyeing the monk who merely smiled, put down a last cup of the miraculous mixture and walked back into the hut. A distortion in the air where the stone had rested sparkled into life and formed a teleportation gate. The system window however, felt it was being ignored and demanded his presence by glowing brighter. Sand tore his eyes from the spectacle and viewed his valuable reward.

**Congratulations! You have unlocked a new Skill Tree!**

**Skill Tree: "Martial Arts"**

**New Skill Unlocked x5:**

**Uppercut:** Medium Damage. Launch a fast rising unarmed strike.

**Stunning Blow:** Low Damage. Stun your opponent for 1 second.

**Moon Crescent: **Medium Damage. Circular kick targeting upper body

**Axe Hammer:** Medium damage. Vertical kick, swiping foot down from above.

**Triangle Combo:** High damage. Two low **Uppercuts** before an **Axe Hammer** finish.

_This is just.. Amazing! _He had stopped wondering what kind of reward he'd get for breaking a stone with his bare hands, since the compensation would never be satisfying. So he had thought. He hurriedly took the cup and drank it's contents in two great gulps.

_Now to try it out.._

He ex-quipped his dagger and began the pose for the **Uppercut.** His hand turned from charcoal black to crystal white as the system charged the skill. "Swish" His body moved on it's own accord as his fist came up, very fast, to know the imaginary opponent. He executed a few more before he moved on to try the other skills, each as fascinating and cool as the first. The **Triangle Combo** was simply amazing to execute, his body moving with such grace and ferocity as he jabbed and kicked into the air. Wearing a huge smile, Sand re-equipped his jacket and walked towards the portal.

"_This will definitely be useful_" He thought as he stepped into the light, once again shattering into a million blue polygons.


	6. Chapter 6 Training

"Yo Sand! Over here"

Agil, tall and muscular, waved with a mug in his hand at the figure coming through the door. The location was **"Urbus City"**, an area now brimming with activity. One of the scouting parties had discovered the boss room, and it was now 2 days before all capable players would risk their lives to reach the next floor. Sand had been busy of trying to get familiar with using the unarmed skills in actual combat, either with one hand wielding the dagger and the other delivering punches, or keeping the weapon in it's sheath and fight the mobs with nothing more than his fists and feet. Agil had then called him over PM, and asked him to come to a local café / inn in the centre of the town. He had accepted, and now he found himself reunited with his party from the previous boss battle.

Eilage and Aleryes were engaged in a heated game of chess, and Sand was not surprised to see Aleryes move two pieces to a more favourable location as Eilage looked up and waved to him. Horian was there, completely indulged in the menu filled with snacks, food and cakes.. And so was Yuuna, showing a bored look as she trying to pick up a crumb of bread with her dagger by the looks of it. However, when she heard Agils call, she immediately stopped and turned her head to regard him as he eased himself into a chair next to Agil, directly opposite of her. He did not wear his hood this time, since the café was only dimly lit and he was confident that he would go somewhat unnoticed. Still, he felt that Yuuna was looking at him when she thought he didn't notice.

Agil looked around the table. "Now then, since we are all here, how about we order something eh?" No complaints were spoken so he waved over a female NPC waiter.

"Welcome! What can I get for you?" She, or it, asked politely. "An ale!" both Eilage and Aleryes yelled at the same time. "I'll have the spiced mead" Horian replied. "Same as before" Agil motioned at his mug. "Hmm, maybe a spiced mead for me as well" Sand hadn't tried one before so it should be interesting. Yuuna looked at the menu before ordering "I will also have an ale and a slice of tremble shortcake, please" The NPC nodded and walked away into the kitchen. Within the minute, she returned with the orders. She held two mugs in each hand while skilfully balancing a plate on top and a bottle tucked under her arm. She did not say anything while she divided the content amongst the group and refilled Agil's glass. "Thank you" Sand gave her a small smile which she acknowledged with a short bow.

"You thank an NPC?" Yuuna lifted an eyebrow as the girl departed. "You know they are not real, right." She lifted her cup to her lips and sipped on the liquor. Sand kept his smile "Old habit I suppose" He lifted his own mug and tasted the mead. It was good, he realised. A faint taste of honey mixed with citrus and an unknown ingredient that really curled his tongue. "Suit yourself" Yuuna put down the ale and began to munch on her cake while eyeing the chess board, now with two full armies ready to battle another round as the previous had come to an abrupt end as both Eilage and Aleryes accused to other one of cheating. Sand watched them for a while before he turned towards Agil, who absently drank from his cup and seemed to be lost in thought.

"So Agil. What is it you wanted to discuss?"

Agil put down his mug. "Oh right. Well as you know, the next boss battle is tomorrow." Sand nodded.

"And since you never officially left the party, we are wondering whether you are planning on rejoining with us?"

Sand did not even have to consider his answer. "Of course. I would be glad to join you again" He said and raised his glass. Agil imitated the movement and motioned for the others to do the same. "Then I hereby declare the F-squad complete once more. Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!" Cups were brought together, signifying the renewed union.

That formal gesture taken care of, Sand put down his now empty cup and took up his **Guide Book.** "Do we have any information on the second boss?" he asked while scrolling through the pages. Horian moved his chair a little closer, opened his system window and materialized his own guide book whereby he spoke with a calm voice.

"Yes, there are some intel from the guide book and from the scouting party. They took the risk of engaging the boss, only temporarily before using teleportation crystals to warp back here. Seems the boss is called **Baran the General Tauros**, a six metre tall minotaur with four HP bars and a large two-handed battlehammer as his only visible weapon. His stats are much similar to the mobs that roam the plains here, both STR and AGI being high, except his are much stronger. It's fast, deals a lot of damage and has at least one AoE skill in it's disposal."

Sand leaned back and stroke a strand of silvery hair out of his face. "another minotaur huh?.." he muttered, too low for anyone to hear. Then in a normal voice he asked: "What's the plan? Same as the previous boss?"

Horian snorted. "You didn't attend the meeting? The second boss does not spawn minions, at least that's what the beta testers claim so it will be a 3 vs 1 fight with support parties switching when necessary."

"Ah.." Sand did not want to mention the fact that he had been busy punching a stone while the meeting had taken place, so he said nothing more.

"Hrm, hrm. Well..." Agil spoke up, facing the whole group. "We have a full day ahead of us to get back into the old teamwork. I suggest we meet outside the city gates say, about nine o'clock tomorrow? It would be good to see if we can make some improvements. Whadda ya all say?"

"Sounds good" Eilage responded, once more not noticing the quick "improvements" that Aleryes performed on the board.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, see you all tomorrow then." Agil rose and walked up the stairs to the sleeping quarters, with Horian in tow. Eilage also started to excuse himself from the table, but then he finally caught a glimpse of Aleryes's cheating and the brawl was on. Shaking her head, Yuuna finished her glass and stood up.

"Well, good night to you Sand." She said while her viewed the fighting pair. She looked somewhat sad where she stood, or was she tired? Sand could not tell.

"Good night Yuuna. See you tomorrow" He gave her a smile as she walked away. Sand remained by the table, ordering another drink and walking outside the door. The moon had risen to it's peak, a beautiful circle of white light, floating in the sky and casting a silvery light on the world. It was slightly bigger than the real moon, but that was part of it's charm. Sand leaned against the inn wall , drank from his mug and wondered what might lie ahead of him.

_**Next Day: 28 h To The Boss Fight**_

"Uaahh" Sand lifted his hand and tried to suppress a yawn that caused his mouth to open wide. He sat in the grass, his back comfortably resting against a thick old tree that grew maybe twenty metres from the tall gates. It was still twenty minutes before they would gather outside the city walls, but he had gone early, since he figured he'd rather arrive early and rest there rather than staying at the inn as face the possibility of being late. Besides, the suns warmth did not reach the city at this hour and he found a strange comfort in watching it ascend up into the sky. It was a silent mark, a reminder that he had survived another day, that he was still alive and that all is not lost.

Before he had ventured outside the city, he had made a quick detour to the merchant's area, hoping to find a player awake and alert. But net gamers, and most of all teenagers, were not generally known for getting up early in the morning so he was left empty handed. With any other options rendered impossible, he had reluctantly asked a male NPC to repair his gear, sighing at the expensive price. But it was worth the cost.

Now he sat there, quiet, still, like a shadow in the sunlight. A couple of parties had gone out into the field, but they had been too occupied with their talking to notice him, despite him being far from invisible with his dark clothes in the bright world. It did not matter. He looked at his HUD:

Ten minutes left.

"Hello, Sand-kun. I guess I'm not the first one here after all" Horian called as he made his way to the tree. His old greatsword was gone, now replaced with a huge new blade that was even larger than his precious one. It's size was both intimidating and seeming somewhat inconvenient, something the tank player made clear as he drew the sword, only then being able to sit down beside him

" Horian." Sand greeted him and eyed the piece with polite interest. "New weapon?"

"Oh you noticed? Yes, this is my new companion. She's beautiful, isn't she?" Horian had a big smile on his face as he gently stroked the handle. "The rat sent me a pm, offering to sell it to me for a hefty sum. It didn't come cheap, but I simply couldn't resist. It should be a great asset in the upcoming boss battle don't you think?"

Sand could only smile and nod, both concerned and amused by the man's enthusiasm. He hadn't failed to notice Horian addressing the weapon as a _"she"._ It was indeed beautiful in a manner, enriched with a bright transparent red lustre and a flowing decoration shaped as a rampant flame.

"Heya, good morning to you both!" A duo of swordsmen sprinted up to the tree. The wore matching outfits, medium weight armour though with a slight difference in metal colour, and had their swords in hand, seemingly eager to start farming EXP.

"Yuuna-chan and Agil-san hasn't arrived yet?" Aleryes asked. "They would be here otherwise, nimrod" Eilage replied and bumped Aleryes lightly on the helm with his shield. "Who are you calling a nimrod, nimrod?!"Aleryes retaliated immediately by bashing his own shield right in Eilages stomach. Weapons and shields were thrown away in a flash, sleeves were rolled up and soon the duo were rolling in the dirt, fighting for an advantage. Sand could only shake his head. The so called friends seemed to be constantly arguing about something, no matter how trivial the matter was.

"Hey" Horian lightly bumped his elbow into Sands shoulder. "I bet you ten Col that Eilage will be the winner." Sand chuckled and regarded the fighting pair for a second, and indeed, Eilage seemed to have the advantage. However...

"You're on!" The wager was set and the bet was on. In the grass, the fight grew more and more ferocious as the open hands began to curl into fists. Still, they were both smiling and not showing the slightest hint of hate or anger towards the other. Aleryes had been exchanging light blows but his patience was not strong, and he bent down and began a heavy charge, planning to take his friend by surprise. Eilage, however, knew him all to well and had expected such a daring manoeuvre. As the charging Aleryes came close, he, and with a lack of finesse, leaned forward and simply fell straight down, disrupting the charge and making Aleryes loose his balance. The sun illuminated the approaching ground beneath him as it's rays were reflected on his armour.

Triumphant, Eilage locked Aleryes right arm behind his back and the fight was coming to an end. Then, he seemed to loose his focus for a brief second and Aleryes, not being anywhere near surrender just yet, took the chance. He veered around and bashed his ironclad helmet straight up. The daring move only managed to deliver a faint blow to Eilages chin, but it was enough as the grip loosened just enough for him to escape it's hold. He then jumped up on his feet and threw himself over his staggering companion. Using the weight of both his own body and his armour, he soon had the grumpy Eilage in a not so comfortable position, serving as a sitting bench for the winner.

Horian muttered something inaudibly and handed over the col.

"He cheated!" the beaten Eilage shouted, spitting out grass as he breathed. "His armour reflected the sun and blinded me! It wasn't a fair fight!"

"Be quiet, and accept your defeat like a man." a female voice cut in. Yuuna walked towards them and watched the scene with amusement, being followed by a rather sleepy Agil who were nodding his agreement. "A warrior must use every ability in order to win." Horian also put in, and Eilage had no choice but to admit his loss. Aleryes let him up and they both retrieved their weapons from the ground.

"Are we going as a full party? Won't be a lot of EXP then" Yuuna remarked.

Agil shook his head. "Nah, I though we could split up in pairs. Eilage and Aleryes are already familiar with each others movements so they'll be one pair." The two swordsmen left the party, saluted them with their swords and ran off, like two boys about to get into a wild game. "Hmm, next I'm thinking that we'll put one tank and one light warrior together, thus being balanced. So why don't I and miss Yuuna form a pair, while you two join forces?" He pointed to Sand and Horian, who looked at each other, shrugged, and nodded their approval. They both left the party and formed a new one with Horian as the leader. Agil then turned to the girl. "C'mon Yuuna. These wildheads will either clean the field or get themselves killed at this rate. Let's go."

They departed, leaving Sand and Horian a bit unsure how to proceed. "uhm.." Horian began. "What kind of mobs do you prefer to tackle? I usually go at the **Tremble Ox** mobs, but if you want we can focus on the cows instead. Sand answered with a grin as he drew his dagger. "Lets take the oxen."

"Heeeyyyaa!" Horian let out a loud roar as he brought down his greatsword and cleaved through his ox. Sand was engaging another one further away, using a mixture of dagger skills and martial arts to keep it disoriented and attack it's weak points. It required a lot more finesse, but was equally effective.

He'd been slightly surprised when Horian didn't ask him about his unarmed skills, but he figured that either the man respected his privacy or he simply didn't cared.

It had fallen on Sand lot to attract mobs for them both since Horian's **Howl** skill took longer to cool than they used to kill the mobs, and as he had a higher **Throwing** skill than the tank, enabling Sand to hurl the projectiles further and pull monsters in from a greater distance. He picked a new target and let fly another **Throwing Pic**. He waited a split second to make sure Horian interrupted the domestic monster, before throwing another pic, this time using his hiding crit trick, to attract one for himself. It's attack pattern was identical to the other ox, lowering it's head and charging forward.

If it had been a week earlier, Sand would've avoided the charge and wait for the right opportunity to strike, but now he stood his ground. The ox came closer, mooing and aiming it's two horns for his midsection. Sand waited until it was almost upon him before he bent his knees, put one hand to the ground and then jumped! Up he went, high over the ground and performed a rapid frontflip while activating an **Axe Hammer**. His right leg shot out wide, tensed, and came down hard like a circular pendulum. It struck with the heel at the ox's eyes, right between it's pointy weapons, and driving the head down. The huge horns pierced the ground and the ox was stolen of all it's momentum. It was a brief reprieve however, as the bull tore itself free and stood up, only to be met by a glowing fist. The **Stunning Blow** did not deal any damage, but it staggered the beast and opened a way for the waiting dagger to bite into the exposed flesh.

Further away, Horian tackled his opponent power with his own STR parameter, halting the beast in it's tracks with a great swipes and skill attacks of his new sword. It wasn't officially a competition, who finished their ox the fastest, but it was hard not to haste just for the pleasure of smiling at the partner who would still be occupied.

The other two pairs were also fighting, though with a slightly slower pace. Aleryes and Eilage ran around, fighting every kind of mob they could find with ease, since they engaged the same mob from both sides. Their teamwork was fluent, each trusting the other to watch their back, and a joy to witness.

Yuuna however, had a harder time. She was not as comfortable with her dagger as Agil was with his axe, and he had often been forced to engage her mob for a brief second as she had been overpowered. They had been forced to abandon going after the oxen mobs since they were too strong for her.. "Agil-san, I'm sorry." She apologised and wiped the dirt from her face. She was holing him back, they both knew that, but Agil only shook his head. "Don't worry. You are doing great!"

"No, I'm not and you know it!" She shot back at him. "I can't even make the sword skills activate when I want, my normal attacks are pathetic and I'm nowhere near accurate enough to hit these weak points you claim exist!" she felt her eyes going moist, and furiously rubbed it away with her hand. "I'm sorry, but I'm too weak to be able to provide any support for you and you know it."

Agil stroked his chin for a while, imitating how a wise scholar might stroke his great white beard. Then he grinned.

"I have an idea." he declared as he opened his menu and sent away a quick PM.

Sand was busy avoiding a kicking rear leg when Agil's message reached him. Still, he had his hands ful,l so he finished his opponent before checking his inbox.

"Horian!" he called after reading the short note. "Agil-san is asking that we rejoin with him and Yuuna at the nearby field!" Horian delivered a final coup de gracé on his mob and walked back.

"Why?" he asked. "We're making good progress here." Horian did not seem happy about abandoning this newly spawned herd that walked around them.

"I don't know. But actually, he only asks for me so you can probably stay here if you want. Will you be able to handle these by yourself?"

Horian slapped his greatsword with his palm and **Howled** at a nearby ox. "What do you think?!" He dashed away, happy to be back in the fray.

Two minutes later, Sand was running with a comfortable pace over the large field, scanning the horizon for a tall human shape. He soon found his target, and altered his course accordingly. Agil waved as he came closer, but Yuuna seemed to be sulking over something and she did not even look up from her sitting position.

"Hey Sand. That was quite fast, man." Agil slapped his back. "Where's Horian?"

"He decided that the spawn rate was too good the be left behind." Sand replied with a grin. "Why did you call me over here?"

"Ah, you see. We've had some minor inconvenience over here, and we're wondering if you could spare some time. Could you maybe teach Yuuna here about wielding a dagger? She's no novice, make no mistake, but it's the finesse she's missing. " Sand was somewhat surprised at the question. "Yeah sure, no problem."

"Great! Then I'll go and team up with Horian, so he won't be alone in the field. Take care of Yuuna while I'm gone." With those words, Agil disbanded his own party and walked off towards Horians location.

"Only the finesse, huh?" Sand smiled and sent a party invite.

They trained for hours, Sand enjoying himself to the fullest extent while Yuuna was on the brink of exploding when she repeatedly failed to replicate his movements. During that time however, they were both talking with each other to their hearts content. Sand found that Yuuna, besides being rather pretty, had a sharp mind that could come up with a witty comment at a moments notice while Yuuna learned that Sand was not the puffed up jerk she had first thought, but something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. After practising releasing skills on commands they moved on to accuracy, using the unlucky boars that kept themselves close to the forests as targets. It became somewhat of a game, Sand sprinting forward and making a small piercing gash on it's hide and Yuuna would then try to attack the same spot while evading the attacking tusks. The mob was the same level as on the first floor boars so she would not loose much HP from the blow, but Sand also wanted her to increase her mobility along with her control. When he felt that she had gained enough skill, they moved on to the larger **Tremble Cows**, but this time engaging it at the same time. Safety above all.

They took a break at one time, a quick stop to rest and eat some well needed lunch. During that time, Sand told her the reason he always wore a hood in the cities, and sometimes even out in the field. "I didn't wear it first" He told her. "But people started to ask questions wherever I went and it was kinda boring having to repeat the same story over and over again. One time though, they though I held a connection to Kayaba Akihiko so they chased me through the whole forest before I lost them." He seemed to fall within himself at that memory and Yuuna watched him with sympathy. She understood him, she realised.

"_It must've been quite the burden to bear, everywhere he went being judged by the colour of his skin"_ she thought.  
Seemingly at unease, he quickly swapped subject and Yuuna, though she would've never admitted it to anyone, found that she actually enjoyed his company.

They grinded for another hour, before the rest of the party came back from their respective grounds. Aleryes and Eilage were completely exhausted, having neglected taking a single break the whole day even for eating, but they were still grinning as they supported each other on the way back. Agil and Horian seemed to have had a good run too, as they both wearing big smiles on their face. Yuuna and Sand exchanged a knowing glance as they both knew what made the men smile like that. A good source of income.

Now together as a single party once more, they all left the hunting grounds and returned to the inn where, after a hearty dinner involving toasts, good food and Sand being beaten by Horian, Aleryes, Agil and even Yuuna in chess, they collapsed on their respective beds.

Yuuna was far away from reality, tucked away in the dream world. In there, she relived the boss battle as it had transpired, only this time she was completely alone in the room. Before her stood **Illfang the Kobolt Lord**, huge and terrible with its great frame and huge sword in hand. It opened its horrible mouth, letting out a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very walls around her. She tried to lift her small dagger, a meagre and pitiful defence against the powerful foe, but no her arms held no physical neither mental strength and it fell down to the ground. Down came the sword, hungering for her blood and lifeforce, and Yuuna screamed hysterically, threw up her hands and closed her eyes, not wanting to see her fast approaching death.

"Thud!"

Suddenly, she felt someone lift her up and dash to the side, narrowly escaping the sharp edge. It crashed into the ground and sent large rocks flying all around the room. She opened her eyes and tried her best to blink the tears away. She could make out a dark figure, holding her in his arms while dodging the attacks from the boss. Not understanding a thing, Yuuna only smiled as her saviour carefully lay her down on the stone, far away from the fight. "Wait just a minute" he whispered. "Everything will be alright" The figure then held something white and shining in his hand as he suddenly appeared in the boss's back, launching a devastating combo on it's back, dagger pulsating with a green light. **Illfang the Kobolt Lord** could not even react before it's HP bar was depleted. The following explosion was enormous. Blue shards shot out from the boss, tearing into the walls, crumbling the pillars, crushing the ceiling, and in the heart of all that was Yuuna, comfortably resting in the protective arms of the saviour. Silvery streaks of light created a curtain around her, banishing the painful reality and leaving only her and the figure behind. She looked at his face, but couldn't make out anything except a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

"Sand?" She whispered. Bangs could be heard from somewhere, but she did not care.

"Yuuna, it's time for us to go" He answered. "We're going to be late"

"What? I don't understand..." He vision got increasingly blurry, shapes reformed, colours changed. She could not see anything, could not feel anything.!

Yuuna awoke in her bed, disturbed by the knocks on the door. "Yuuna? Are you there?" Sand called, who was beginning to think that he was talking to an empty room. He stood outside her door at the inn, wearing full battle gear with the **Silver Rondell** strapped tight on his hip.

"J-.. just give me a minute!" Yuuna shrieked as she rapidly ex-equipped her sleeping shirt and trousers and put on her armour. "Damn, damn, damn..." she whispered as she slipped her boots on. She had been so tired the evening before so she had fallen back into old habits from the real world, taking off her armour piece by piece and laying them on a nearby chair instead of simply putting them back into her inventory. Finally, she was dressed and she ran to the door and opened it with her cheeks showing a distinct red hue. Outside stood Sand, giving her a tired smile before motioning for her to accompany him towards the staircase that lead down to the first inn floor.

"The others have already left the inn. It's about five minutes before the raid party will enter the dungeon." He informed her while they walked hurriedly into the street, now with his hood on.

"What?! Five minutes?! Why didn't you wake me?!" Yuuna yelled and broke into a sprint. They would never make it to the dungeon entrance in five minutes!

"You don't think I tried? You don't think we all tried?" the hooded figure that sprinted beside her replied. "I called out for you when we went down for breakfast. Aleryes knocked on your door fifteen minutes later when you didn't show up. Even Agil went up, but afterwards he told us we were to let you sleep, so I waited behind and was planning to wake you 30 minutes before the gathering. But you were unreachable in there. What were you dreaming about anyway?"

"N-.. nothing important! I don't remember!" She felt the blood rushing up to her face.

"There they are!"

"Ah, I see them! Hurry up will ya!"

"C'mon Yuuna-chan, this isn't like you."

They had finally arrived at the dungeon entrance, where her party waited anxiously for them. It was located in a mountain wall, appearing like an old ruin of some sort. It seemed that the rest of the raid group had already ventured into the dungeon as they were alone. Without wasting time, Agil invited them both to the renewed party and nodded. As one single body, they all turned and dashed into the darkness.

Inside, Sand immediately took the role as a scout, activating his **Hiding **and checking the area ahead for any traps or mobs. Luckily, the main force had been there before them and most monsters hadn't respawned yet. The only encountered a few lone guardians, and those met a swift end.

Then it was time. The second boss doors towered before them, and the rest of the raiding group that they had caught up with.

_No turning back now_

The doors creaked open and the players stormed the room. In the opposite end of the room stood an immensely large throne where ** Baran the General Tauros** comfortably sat. Slowly, it's great head turned and regarded the intruders whereby it issued a thunderous roar and brought forth an enormous battlehammer. The second boss battle had begun.


	7. Chapter 7 A White World

Before we begin, i would like to apologise for making you wait. My imagination seems to have struck a brick wall face on, and adding a few IRL issues with that, it took forever for me to write this. Hope you enjoy

* * *

_We killed the boss, as we defeated the next one and the one after that. Gradually I came to realise, as we bore them down one by one to afterwards stand exhausted and victorious, that this world had changed us. We were children when we arrived, unscathed, unfamiliar with the violent world we had been trapped in. It was to be a game, a fake reality we could experience and visit to escape our regular day. Not a death game with minimum chance of survival. But mankind is known to adapt, and most important of all, to survive. And adapt we did, casting away our sympathy and gentle character for iron hard determination. Weapon in hand, we fought everything that stood in our path. That became our normal day, a daily routine that we all followed as in a trance. When we stepped our on the seventh floor and faced our first humanoid monsters, many were deterred at first, unwilling to bear down something close to an evil relative race. But as time passed, not one soul kept it's purity and refused to kill humanlike mobs. All of us pressed on, determined to fight our way free and reunite with the outside world. How much have we lost? Those thoughts haunt me sometime. How much humanity is left in us compared to those free from virtual shackles. Us who have slain so many? Even if we return to the world, will the world accept us who have paid for our progress with pain and blood? How can they understand what it feels like, being always alert of danger, always being ready for assaults and traps? It is a question with no possible answer, but we fight anyway. For our freedom and our souls. _

_I however, have faith we will prevail, and keep our compassion despite the difficulties that lies on the road we follow. My female companion is a living example of that. Though she was unnerved and hostile as our long fight began, she has now turned into a being made of strength and gentleness, using all that is within her power to help others. How I admire her and her determination and wish that I possessed her courage. My actions are considered by a few to be a beacon of hope, but they do not know the fear I constantly suppress and hide behind a cool façade. For us to prevail, we must never display our uneasiness and let our spirits down. If we fail to preserve our hope, all is lost._

_**Notes from an unknown author.**_

* * *

It was now early March and the clearing group had made progress. They had slain kobolts, battled minotaurs, crossed blades with humanoids, brought down a giant to its knees, crushed golems into rubble, burnt a treeant to ashes. They had beaten, struck, slashed, cut, kicked, punched and elbowed their way forward and was now currently clearing the 21th floor, though with some difficulty since it was a huge world filled with snow, ice and chills. Not used to these weather conditions, the assault had been slowed as players, not equipped with proper clothing, had been forced to succumb to the cold and seek shelter within the city walls. Though it had indeed snowed the week around Christmas, the temperature had never reached these freezing depths.

It had gone so far that one day, a beaten player that fled after battling a snowstorm, screamed in terror: "This is not a game! This is the ninth realm of hell itself!" And indeed, it seemed sometimes like that proclamation was true.

But it was now the merchants was really given their opportunity to shine. Skilled tailors, previously only sewing colourful garments and accessory that served only as a stylish add-on, now found themselves flooded with players wanting warm garments to protect them against the cold. Blacksmiths formed unions with tailors, and through the ingenious game system that seemed to constantly evolve, they began mass-producing armours and equipments that offered protections from both weapons and cold. A new armour type was born, one with a slight reduce in mobility but a necessity if progress was to be made. And so, players waited in line to receive the chance of buying their own ticket, all in order to enter the cold lands beyond the walls.

Making their way towards an nearby restaurant with the rising sun on their backs, Sand and Yuuna walked in a comfortable pace with their arms locked in a faint embrace. Yuuna clad in a supple leather armour with metallic scales latched on her shoulders and back, and Sand dressed in a similar armour, it's steel protection also fastened on his shoulders and back, but he had also equipped gauntlets having sheets of metal covering the outside of his arms from the elbow to the wrist. He wore no hood now, a firm order issued from Yuuna, who had actually smacked him on the forehead with a stick when he had protested.

"Don't. Be. Such. An. Idiot!" She had scolded him between the blows. "Why bother caring what others think of you? You. Will. Not. Wear. a hood from now on, and That. Is. Final." A hard smack had followed that statement and Sand had immediately agreed, realising then the idiocy of ever using a hood. When he got somewhat used to the awkward stares, he found it relieving not having to hide his features. And stares were much better than sticks.

The pair had grown closer over the months, slowly lowering their guard and allowing the other one to see that which awaited beyond. They were not officially a couple, they still fought and argued too much for that. But there was an intimacy between them, something special and unique that only they shared and enjoyed.

It had begun on the second level, at least that's how Sand saw it. When they sat there, tired after sharpening her skills with a blade, a connection began to sprout and spread it's long roots. They had continued meeting, both for training purpose and to simply be in the others presence and the small sprout had grown into a small plant, eager to grow stronger and taller. At one point, it became clear to both of them that their mastery with daggers was now equal and the training sessions was replaced by effective farming. Sand had then offered a friendly partnership where only he and Yuuna would be the only party members. With their agility and skill, they had began to outpace the other members of the initial party. Horian and at some point Agil, had now settled with a fighting style that fully relied on using their STR and VIT to defeat foes, rather than movability. Eilage and Aleryes had somehow become an unbelievable blend from two individuals into one. A single warrior with four arms wielding swords and shields in a magnificent teamwork. Thus, their party had become unbalanced when they all realised that their skills were too different to make an efficient pace that suited all members. Their methods were simply too different.

Now, Aleryes and Eilage had went and joined the **Knights of the Blood **that had been formed around floor ten. The leader Heathcliff, a tall and noble man, had personally invited them as the twelfth floor boss had been defeated. Horian had become a mixture between a solo player and a mercenary, joining parties who were looking for a skilled member to briefly fill their party. His prowess with two-handed weapons was well known and considered by some to be a complete tank. Agil was now managing his own merchant store and was having less time to go out in the field. How he still kept his level in pace with the clearing group, that remained a mystery.

It was him that Yuuna and Sand was planning to meet.

"Do you think he will have them ready?" Yuuna asked Sand as she gazed on the buildings on either side of the walkway. She had not taken the situation of them being stranded in the city very well, and she emphasized that by randomly walking over and launch a hard kick on a nearby building.

"What other reason would he be calling us for." Sand replied with a faint smile as a small system window popped up, indicating that the building was an **Immortal Object**. He was equally frustrated, being in this situation, but he endured it stoically. They had been forced to revisit the previous floor and that had left a bitter taste in his mouth, making it feel like they were walking back in their own tracks. But maybe now, maybe the trial was finally coming to an end. Maybe...

"Greetings" A male NPC welcomed them with a small bow as they entered the dining hall. Wearing something remotely similar to a tuxedo, it guided the pair to a free table where he produced a small notebook. "What can I get for you? The unique selections of beverages we offer are of top quality, I can assure you." Another bow. "We also have a wide stock of food and deserts, spanning from the ever so popular lemon sorbet to the rare and tender steak, expertly cooked by our master chef." You could sense some level of pride in his voice, despite it being a soulless being. Another small and subtle detail that made SAO so lifelike.

"I think I will order a glass of white wine" Yuuna had apparently grown rather fond of the dry taste, and never missed an opportunity to order one. Sand however had discovered and developed a liking to the various mead types one could order. It cost a few Col extra, but since it was a virtual liquid which didn't require years to mature, one could actually make small subtle changes in the taste, such as spiciness, sourness, types of honey mixed into the drink, adding a hint of citrus, mint, the time it took for the taste to linger in the mouth and so on. He had been experimenting for quite some time, and had now come to the part considering the type of wood the beverage had been stored in.

"I'll take a pepper mead that has matured in a birch barrel, with bee honey and some Creadence flower juice mixed in ." He chuckled as Yuuna shook her head and frowned slightly. But he knew she wouldn't complain about it today.

It was his treat.

Receiving the money, the male NPC issued yet another bow, walked over and through a door whereby it returned with their order.

"You know Sand." Yuuna remarked as she accepted the outstretched glass from the NPC. "You should maybe try raising your **Alchemy** skill, seeing how much fuss you make with your drinks. It would be great if we could save some col from buying healing potions all the time." Sand hummed at that and took a sip of his mug, eyes closed. The flavour was good, but it still lacked the perfect combination he was looking for.

"I guess I could give it a try.. " He lingered on the reply, letting a small grin spread on his lips. "..IF you help me get the materials I need." Her suggestion was a sound one and worth a shot, but he was not willing to spend large quantities on buying the ingredients from NPCs or merchants.

She aimed a half-hearted kick under the table and spun her own glass in small circles, making the liquid inside whirling around the sides.

"Ooh, we meet again." A familiar voice proclaimed as a tall and muscular figure eased himself down at their table.

"Agil!" Yuuna greeted happily while Sand rose and offered a handshake while he smacked the man on his back. "Hey Agil, how goes the store?"

Agil took the hand and shook it firmly. "Couldn't be better, I say! I have not bought a house to call my own just yet, but I still make a good profit by occupying a table in the merchant district and dealing with some other sellers. Which now brings me to the reason behind our little meeting." He grinned and swiped his index finger down, opening his inventory. "These things were not easy to acquire, I tell you that. But since I owe you one for saving my ass back during the 17th floor boss fight, it's all on me."

The 17th boss had been a terrible pain in the ass. The F-squad had been rejoined for the occasion, but their normal tactics had not been very effective whith the 17th boss being a giant cobra, over 20 metres long. It's scaly skin had made it difficult to injure it since it covered it's whole body except for the softer skin on it's long torso. But to get there, one would have to face the insanely fast head which constantly retracted before shooting forward with lightning speed and knocking players senseless. In a last desperate attempt to raise the fighting spirit in the raid group, Agil had rushed forward and tried to intercept it's charge with his axe, making it temporarily dazed and vulnerable for attacks. But he was not fast enough, and had it not been for Yuuna who dragged him out of there while Sand distracted it, his life would've ended with that heroic manoeuvre.

Agil scrolled a while before apparently finding what he was looking for and materialized the two respective items on the table.

Before them, on the hard oak surface, lay two thick coats, both white as snow but differing slightly in appearance. Yuuna and Sand eyed the pieces, looked at each other, a silent question being spoken, but then they both smiled and nodded. Choices made, they took their respective garment, stood up and tried it on. Sand was now clad in a sleek cloak, made out of several layers of cloth with warm fluffy isolation between. Thin silvery embroideries traced the shoulder paddings and back, shooting out in various places from the small securely fastened, dimly polished metal plates that protected his shoulder blades and chest. Yuuna on the other hand, was now wearing a beautiful white cape which seemed to bend around her body. No plate metal was visible, but instead thin chainmail rings were sown into the fabric itself, making it glitter slightly in the light. With her ruby hair flowing out and down behind her back, she looked almost royal. Both pieces were completed with hoods that had thick grey animal fur as isolation and they both lacked any openings where a person could put their arms into. But that was only good since the agile pairs movements would've been slowed down considerably.

"Agil-san, these are amazing" Yuuna managed to say as she marvelled over the soft fabric that she was stroking with her hand. "They must've cost a fortune" Sand absently nodded in agreement as his mind wandered for a split second, dazed by the comfortable garment.

"N-.. Not really. I got them pretty cheap from the tailor, but he made me promise to sell his wares in my own store so I guess he will walk away quite rich from this." Agil seemed at unease by the gratitude he received from both Yuuna as well as Sand.

"Either way: Thank you" Sand responded and tried unsheathing his dagger. The **Ebony Dirk** slid out effortlessly from it's sheath, making an almost happy sounding hiss. Sand put his blade through a few basic routines and monitored how the coat followed his movements. The equipment did not hinder the movement in any way, and that brought an even bigger smile to his face.

"Y-.. Yeah. Sure, no problem.. So you guys are heading out now?"

Yuuna nodded and took Sands arm who answered. "This waiting is killing us so yeah, we're going outside the walls for now. We'll probably not return for a while, seeing that there's a nearby village where we can rest. Well bye, and thanks again!" Not able to suppress their eagerness any longer, the pair swiftly bade farewell to Agil and sprinted out, racing to the front gate.

Two shades of white moved swiftly over the chilly landscape, flying over the packed snow where one would hardly leave a footprint. For an onlooker, it would've been very difficult to keep track of them as they swiftly ran away from the warm city and into the freezing climate. The white coats covered them from top to toe, concealing their coloured armours underneath and rendering them almost invisible in the white surroundings. When they had previously ventured out, the pair had quickly realised that this weather was not something you could tackle with willpower alone. There seemed to be a slow DOT-debuff working out here, a freezing paralyze status that made a players movements increasingly sluggish, working similarly as a slow poison would. That was before they had acquired the coats however, and now they were at last ready to go out and face this floor. Sand and Yuuna did not speak during the time they ran, but it was not necessary since they knew each other so well. The duo knew that the feeling of freedom that came to them was mutual, and large smiles occasionally flashed from under the hoods. There were no mobs in sight, strangely enough, and so they pressed on, eager to find a challenge.

Suddenly, there was only one white shadow on the field. Yuuna halted abruptly and spun around, weapon in hand. Her eyes shot towards the place where his footprints seemed to have vanished. She carefully walked back towards the spot. "Sand?" she whispered as her eyes darted around in search for her partner. There had not been a sound, not the slightest whisper had escaped as he vanished into this air. Nothing seemed to be missing, no unusual set of tracks or trace was to be seen no matter how much she scanned the perimeter.

_Is it a trap?_ Yuuna could not see any holes in the ground, only her own and Sand's. But where could he..?

"BOOH!" Appearing right in front of her was Sand, leaping out of the snow with hands outstretched towards her face. Yuuna shrieked and leaped back as her right hand holding her weapon automatically shot out and made an awkward strike. Sand, prepared for a reaction like this, caught her arm in mid-swing before his whole body began to shake in short spasms. Yuuna thought first that he had been hurt, but then small chuckles reached her ears, chuckles which soon evolved into hearty laughter. Yuuna swiftly interrupted him with a merciless punch in his midsection.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I could've injured you!" She shouted as he lay before her, curled and gasping for breath. Sand's smile did not however diminish the slightest.

"H-.. Heh-... You could've-.. but you didn't." He managed to get back up on his feet and gave her a smile filled with mischief and a faked innocence. "It was definitely worth it, anyways." Despite her best efforts, Yuuna could not stay angry on him for very long.

"Mou, Sand-kun.. It's not fair with you having almost mastered the hiding skill this early in the game" She pouted, turned around and crouch down in the snow. If it hadn't been for her red hair, she would've been hard to make out even at this range.

Sand thought he might have pushed his prank too far. Maybe he should apologise? "Yuuna, I... HMMPFHH!" He could not finish the intended sentence as his face was suddenly filled with cold snow and he was back on the ground. Yuuna clapped her hands together and rubbed the remaining snow off her gloves.

"There! Much better" She nodded happily as Sand spat out a mouthful and took his turn to shoot an angry glare before his features softened.

"Guess I deserved that..." He muttered and spat out another chunk of snow. "Yes you did" Yuuna agreed as she helped him up. "Well, at least we know now that the coats are functional as camouflage." Sand added, tucked his long hair back and pulled up his hood.

"For you maybe." Yuuna replied. "You should've told me back on the second floor about the tree. I could've gained maybe a hundred skillpoints from it before my level was too high!" It had been a small thorn in her side ever since she learned about Sand's abnormal skill-level in **Hiding**. She had tried to develop her own, hoping to catch up with him. Despite her efforts, he was still about 200 points above her.

"Well I didn't trust you then, and you didn't trust me so.." Sand shrugged and looked away.

"Hmpf!" Was all he got back as they resumed their sprint.

They hadn't covered a lot of distance before Sand halted and tugged Yuuna on her sleeve, making her almost fall over.

"What are you...?"

"Shhhh! Did you see that?" Sand hissed and Yuuna was instantly wary when she heard the edge in his voice. She eased her hand down close to her weapon, ready to draw it at a moments notice. "See what?" She couldn't make out anything in the snowy wasteland.

Sand's hand had shot in under his cloak and drawn forth the blade that rested inside. "I saw something move over by that tree, at the base." He motioned for her to take his hand, and then activated his **Hiding, **Yuuna only seconds behind. With their hands firmly locked together to enable visuals of each other, the pair crept towards the spot Sand had motioned for. As they got closer, Yuuna noticed that the snow surrounding the tree had been disturbed. It seemed that someone or something had first shuffled the snow away and then struggled to cover the tracks. No movement could be seen in the area, but that did nothing to soothe their tensed muscles. Too long had they fought, too many traps had they experienced and too many fights had they won for them to lower their guard now. Their bodies still being like coiled springs, Sand and Yuuna closed in on the tree.

In Sword Art Online, things who looked suspicious were always being so for a reason. Therefore they did not doubt for a second that this was just a random appearance, but something else. A quest start? A marking by a new kind of mob perhaps? They could not tell.

Sand drew his dagger and turned his back towards the tree, watching the perimeter as Yuuna bent down and carefully dug with hands in the snow. After a while, Yuuna spoke up.

"Uhh, Sand. You might want to see this.." Her voice came tentatively into his ears. Not sure what to make of her reaction, Sand backed closer to the tree and bent down beside her, blade still poised in position. "What is it?" He carefully glanced down to her hands and froze in place.

Carefully held in Yuuna's soft hands was a large ornate egg the size of an oval football, enriched with gems and clad with beautiful golden leaves. All thoughts of defence now blown away by awe, Sand fell down on his knees beside her. "What-.. is that? He dared to ask.

"I have no idea" Yuuna whispered and stroked the the eggs surface. As she did, a system message appeared above it and the pair gave out a unified gasp of surprise at the now named: **Golden Rabbit's Egg.** A window popped up: **Open Egg? Yes / No.** Yuuna pressed yes.

With a small boom and a colourful explosion, the egg cracked in half. The top piece bent back, sliding along an invisible hinge and revealed the contents within. "Is that..?" Yuuna almost lost the courage to ask as she saw something she had not seen for four months. "I believe it is" Sand was now grinning widely as he viewed the contents. He took an item from the egg and held it up. "Yuuna, say aaah" Normally, she would've hit him in the head for making such a cliché act, but surprisingly enough she did not react. She opened her mouth and Sand put the piece into her mouth.

Yuuna's eyes popped wide open, staring into a void unknown and unexplored by man. "Chocolate!" She moaned with delight as she chewed the candy. She even leaned her head back so much that her hood fell off and her beautiful hair was freed. Sand took out another piece and tasted. "Delicious.." Nothing could've described the taste more accurate. The chocolate melted in their mouths, virtually making their tongues swirl with ecstatic pleasure. Later on, they discovered that this was part of an event that only occurred in march each year. On this particular floor, small rabbits would spawn, though incredibly infrequent, and hide their eggs in the forest. Seeing that this was not going to happen any time soon, Sand and Yuuna began a frantic search for similar burial sights that went on for over two days. They found two more piles of snow, and two more golden eggs with the priceless reward within were extracted.

But for now, they didn't care. This was their first piece of chocolate in what felt like a decade and they would be damned if they weren't enjoying it to the fullest.

"Oh my god.." Sand suddenly spoke out, tearing his partner out of her dull state of mind. "Do you realise what this means?" Yuuna looked confused and shook her head, making her red hair swirl through the air. Sand stroked her chin and took her hand with his, his eyes looking softly into hers.

"Happy Easter Yuuna"

* * *

Happy Easter everybody! :D  
I don't know how much time i will have during the holidays to work on my next episode so it may take a while, but rest assured i will think of new plots constantly so when i get the time to sit by the computer, it will not be in vain.

Until next time, best regards to all of you :)


	8. Chapter 8 Cold Steel And Warm Hearts

Once again, they all stood before the huge doors, hearts in their throats and weapons in their hands. Once again they stood, Sand and Yuuna, hands locked in a tight embrace while keeping their gaze on the great golden entrance. And once again, Heathcliff the Unbreakable, leading **Knights Of The Blood** and forming a strategy for each boss battle, placed his hand against the massive gates and pushed them open. A cold wind escaped out through the gap, even more freezing than the storms that roamed the plains outside, and made every virtual hair on their body stand out straight. But the tough warriors only drew their winter coats tighter around their body, checked their weapons one last time, and walked into the cold darkness, teeth bared and steeled hearts. Sand noticed in the corner of his eye that Kirito, the black-clad male from the first boss fight, was in the group, walking forward with sword in hand. The ebony-skinned player raised and waved tentatively with his dagger hand but the lone swordsman only glanced at him before looking away with a sad expression.

With their current levels, (Sand being level 32 while Yuuna was level 30 and the rest were around 28→30 as well) the clearers were pretty confident in their chance of success, but one thing they had learned the hard way was that things doesn't always go as planned.

"Yuuna, stay close to me" Sand tightened his grip around her soft hand and allowed himself to tear his eyes from the front and down to his side where his partner walked. Her face was not visible underneath the thick hood but she was in there, breathing slowly and creating small fumes of crystallized breath that whirled out into the open air.

"I should say the same to you" She replied and clenched his hand a bit harder for just a second. "You better survive this, you hear me!" She was on the verge on saying something more, but there was no more time for talking, as the initial phase of the battle commenced.

Magical torches lit up, as they always did during a boss battle, but this time they did not flicker with the ordinary warm orange colour, but with a cold white flame that seemed to absorb warmth rather than producing it. One by one, they burst into flames that worked in unison to illuminate the great hall the players now stood in.

In the centre of the room stood a massive block of ice, tall as a house and equally wide. It's surface was completely smooth and free from any cracks or imperfections. As each torch came to life, it captured the light and shone brighter and brighter. Soon it became clear that the radiating light was not a reflection from the torches but coming from its very core. The ice began to pulsate with lambency, shining brighter than even the sun and rendering it impossible to gaze on. Everybody in the room took a step back and shielded their eyes, and a few even screamed out in pain.

"Stand firm!" Heathcliff called out, crouching behind his huge tower shield that protected not only himself but several more players behind him from the blinding light. As for Sand and Yuuna, they huddled together behind a thick white pillar and sought refuge from the pulsating light by shielding their eyes with their hands. Suddenly, the light disappeared and left the raid party blinking in the sudden darkness before their eyes could properly adjust. Certain that something was about to happened, the clearers rose and raised their weapons once more.

"CRACK!" All of a sudden, a large tear appeared on the surface, stretching vertically from the centre to the ground.

"CRACK!" another one followed, this one being a diagonal cut extending from the first one.

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!" The cube began to glow faintly, but stronger where the scars traced. The light was nowhere near as bright as before, but it was enough however to let the players distinguish a dark form within the ice, tall and imposing. Two red dots gleamed, sending small shudders down every spine.

"CRACK!" The vertical wound opened more, now twice as long.

"CRACK!" The red dots disappeared and figure within began to slowly move. Hands moved from an idle position by its hip into a crossed position over it's chest. Every muscle on Sands body tensed as he saw the figure slowly open it's eyes once more and slightly baring its teeth. Hands turned into fists! Arms previously slim were now perfectly honed with hard muscles! A primal snarl echoed in the chamber before the figure tensed and then brought it's arms out wide.

"CRASH!" The ice cube exploded into tiny shards that flew with horrid speed through the chamber and smashed against the walls and shields that were raised in defence. Where the cube had previously been now stood the figure but it was no longer a shadow. Grey hair flowed around it, though there was no wind blowing. Cold skin moved slowly, grey and lifeless. Teeth bared, bone white and dry as stone. Red eyes filled with crude rage fixated on them all. Four green HP bars appeared above its head. Clad in a shaggy tunic and a pair of torn pants it stood, hands slowly reaching behind its back and drawing forth a staff with curved blades producing from each end, a dual halberd.

**Meszall The Ice Wraith** let out a wordless shriek and whirled it's long weapon in rapid arcs around its body.

Heathcliff raised his weapon and pointed at the wraith. "All units CHAARGE!" He roared. All the players in the room mustered their courage and engaged the enemy, shouting and cursing like madmen. The first person to reach the boss was a member from the army, wielding a large two-handed axe which he brought down in a vicious chop. **Meszall **simply sidestepped the blow and when the player flew past him, it brought the staff out and smacked him down to the ground. Spinning around on one heel, it faced the next opponent, this time a female jabbing several times at its throat with a spear. The boss' staff whirled in defensive arcs and suddenly shot out, cutting through her side and making her HP go down about 40 %. Sand was the third person with Yuuna close behind. Their light build and high AGI stats enabled them to move with higher speed than most of the players, so it was now their turn to attack. The boss raised its weapon and cut a vertical arc down at the ebony-skinned player who responded by whipping his left arm to the side, catching the wooden shaft with his metal bracer and diverting the blade. He had originally planned to follow up with a punch or maybe a quick slash with his dagger, but he could not! The sheer force behind the blow was tremendous and Sand was forced to put his other arm up and continue the block so he wouldn't be sliced into pieces

"Yuuna, switch!" He yelled as the blade was turned aside.

"Ok!" She responded and dashed forward. But the cold wraith was not caught unaware the slightest. The instant Sand had diverted its attack, **Meszall** had followed along the new route and performed a small somersault in the air as the halberds other end sliced through the air, now following a horizontal path. Yuuna dove to the ground as the weapon traced a lethal arc a few centimetres above her head. More players joined the fray and **Meszall **found itself surrounded. Sand pulled Yuuna back as the group began its assault.

"Attack in groups" Heathcliff screamed as he parried a vertical chop from the wraiths crude weapon at the same time as the other end sliced a players ankle. In the terms of weapon mastery, the ice wraith was supreme. Despite being outnumbered, it never stayed in one place for more than a few seconds.

**Meszall The Ice Wraith** stabbed, leaped, avoided, slashed, punched and even kicked players to keep them at bay. The magnificent weapon never stopped stabbing, slicing, blocking and countering most of the blows that fell towards it. It even used the long weapon as a leverage a couple of times, driving one blade down into the ground and swinging over the circling players and landing outside the ring where it cut the unprepared down with cold efficiency. Instead of trying to end every players life, the ice wraith severed limbs such as arms and legs that would disappear when separated from the body and leaving the maimed players greatly handicapped. The lost limbs would return after a couple of hours, but for now they were irreplaceable and lost. Cries of pain echoed in the room as the wraith's first HP bar was depleted.

With a roar, **Meszall** began to spin his dual halberd over his head and forced all players to fall back. The circular motion increased in speed and the blades began to shine a shining yellow colour.

"Watch out! It's a sword-skill!" somebody shouted. Nobody disagreed as cold winds started to blow through the hall. Shards from the shattered ice flew into the air and traced a wide circle around the boss.

"Everybody take cover! Parties form up behind your shields!" Heathcliff's voice was the last thing that could be heard before hell broke loose. A tornado, made of freezing winds and shards faced the clearers, making them instantly cover their eyes and take refuge in the nearest shelter, be it a pillar or a shield. The whirlwind itself did not do much damage but it had a similar freezing effect as the weather outside though this time not even their thick winter coats helped. Sand, having worked previously with Yuuna and exchanged blows with the boss using their daggers and a large variety of agile unarmed blows, got thrown away by the sheer wind pressure. With no sight of Yuuna, he scrambled across the ground, trying desperately to find a hold to stop his momentum.

"Sand! Over here!" A familiar voice was barely audible through the storm but he heard it! Sand desperately drove his dagger down into a crack in the floor, and then used both hands and his full STR parameter to hurl himself towards the voice. A gloved hand grabbed the collar of his coat and dragged him down and into a sheltered area. Kneeling beside him was Aleryes, keeping one hand on Sand's back while the other held up his large shield to defend against the winds. His hair was a mess and snow covered most of his face, but a smile was still beaming on his face.

"You alright there, mate?!" He screamed and grimaced as his arm muscles had to work at full power to prevent the shield from flying from his grasp. Sand quickly got on his knees and helped support the protection.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sand yelled back as he put his shoulder against the shields backside to anchor it. "Where's Yuuna? Did you see her? Is she alright?" He tried to stick his head out and get a view of the surroundings but he was quickly forced back. Aleryes laughed between his clenched teeth.

"Oh, your girlfriend? Don't worry! My brothers got her have no doubt!" The knight of the blood nodded to his left where Eilage similarly held his ground, shielding Yuuna while she helped him. Her teeth were slightly visible as she kept him steady and her eyes were fixed on Sand. When she saw that he had noticed her, she gave him a quick nod. Her lips parted and spoke silent words to him.

_Don't give up_

Despite being in such a situation, Sand could not help but smile at her courage. He nodded back. Meanwhile, the wind had now begun to fade away. **Meszall The Ice Wraith** had stopped spinning and was now advancing on the dazed players.

"Everybody back in formation!" Heathcliff yelled as he met the boss' charge head on. With a determined roar the other clearers got back on their feet and resumed their attacks. Even with the blade mastery that the ice wraith possessed, it was now being slowly defeated just by the sheer advantage in numbers the players had. That said, it still wasn't an easy task. Had they been maybe 20 or even 10 people less, they would've never been able to simultaneously attack and block the boss.

The leader of the **Knights Of The Blood** seemed to have grasped the attack patterns somewhat and was now leading an efficient counter attack. The players, accustomed of taking orders from Heathcliff, followed his command and it became clear that the two vital pieces of weaponry in the room was the shield users and the spear wielders. Having the longest reach in the game, the players wielding the long weapons adapted to the ferocious attacks and remained behind a wall of shields created by crouched tanks. The long spears shot out and stabbed over the shields, using piercing skills to maximise the damage output while the defending warriors bided their time and occasionally raised their shields and swiped at the boss' feet with a low sword cut.

Being players used to close combat, Sand, Yuuna and any other dagger user in the room could not offer much help other than throwing a pic from time to time to inflict whatever little damage they could and briefly keep the boss at bay when it executed a daring manoeuvre

After perhaps ten minutes, another HP bar was carved away and **Meszall** began to create another tornado with his long weapon. Now, knowing what to expect, Aleryes and Eilage raised their shields beside one another and the dagger pair hid behind. They were now close enough to have a brief conversation.

"It feels wrong, not being able to help the raid party" Yuuna had a sour look on her face as her hair flew around as if it had a life of its own. Her hands opened and closed in frustration, and Sand could fully relate to her feelings. It was similar to being trapped inside the city walls, a gnawing fact that you could do nothing to speed up or improve the situation. His own hair flowed just as wildly, and the two colours clashed with one another, a wild battle between red and white. Eilage gently kicked Yuuna in the side to get her attention.

"Hey, cheer up girl! You guys have done so much already in the previous battles so I say it's time for us swordsmen to show our value!" He slapped his arm to strengthen his claim and was supported by Aleryes, shouting a large "AYE!" while he imitated the move.

Again, the wind faded and the fighting continued. It was a sight of joy for both Sand and Yuuna, having witnessed hardships and endeavours where people had been too suspicious of others intentions to lower their guard and cooperate to any larger extent. Parties had been rare, only formed between individuals who knew each other from before. Lone players had been left out and forced to grind in solo, thus involuntarily putting themselves in greater danger.

But now it seemed that those events were once and for all locked away in the past. The fight brought them closer to each other, however briefly. Shield users blocked the attacks, never pausing to consider which person they helped. Players that served as an outer ring paced the perimeter, prepared to drag a wounded player out of the circle with a seconds notice.

Everybody were working together towards a common goal, a privilege denied from the god of this world.

"Steady! It's almost down on the last bar!" **Meszall The Ice Wraith** seemed drained on its strength where it stood, panting and leaning on its staff for support. Heathcliff stepped into the ring, challenging the boss to close combat. It growled in defiance and raised the weapon, but did not attack. The leader raised his sword and lined his body up for a sword skill. The blade began to gleam with a soft blue, and Sand recognised the attack as a **Vertical**.

"Heeyya!"

Heathcliff the Unbreakable let out a shout as his blade bore down on the boss. The ice wraith had regained some posture however, and the blade was met by a thick wooden frame, thrown up in a desperate block.

"Ka-chink!"

The glowing blade halted for a millisecond before it cleanly cut through the wood and drew a light gash on the boss' chest. It fell backwards, hands clutching the remains of his magnificent weapon.

A roar of victory erupted from the players, deeming that the boss was now defenceless. An eager individual even raised his weapon and started forward but was stopped by a raised hand from Heathcliff.

"Stay alert. It's not over...UAGH!" His reply was cut short by two simultaneously attacking blades that forced him to leap back and raise his shield in midair in defence. The shield clashed with the attacks and almost defeated them, however one of the blades managed to slip behind his defences and scratched his chin and making a thin line of virtual blood flow down from his cheek. The wound mended almost instantaneous since it was a virtual world, but the sight of Heathcliff, Heathcliff the Unbreakable, Heathcliff the Untouchable being hurt was greatly unnerving. The tall leader bent his knees and brought his hand down on the ground to his momentum. Still, the sheer force behind the blows had thrown him away from the main group, making them loose a crucial part of defence.

**Meszall The Ice Wrath** was now standing in a completely new stance, showing no fatigue as the broken pieces rested in its hands. Heathcliff had managed to sever the staff exactly in the centre and now the boss stood before them, wielding identical weapons in its hands that closely resembled curved swords who now had an aura of ice around them. Being sliced with those weapons would not be pleasant.

Not waiting for the players to react, the wraith sped forward unleashed its fury. The two blades attacked in unison, working flawlessly together to cut down the remaining players. Up and down, side to side they traced lethal arcs, never stopping and never intervening with one another. HP bars dropped impossibly fast, defences were shattered, more limbs were severed and sadly, lives disappeared. The raiding party was now on its last leg, consisting of only a handful of players who still had all their bodyparts attached to them and a HP bar in either the green or the yellow zone. A player got caught in the frenzy and was killed with a double thrust through his chest. Another was decapitated by a sweeping strike and a third was soon to follow. **Meszall **aimed a vicious cut at the poor male who tried desperately to block with his sword. Sand watched the blade fall as he ran at full speed towards the boss.

"_Shit, shit SHIT!" _He and Yuuna had been on his way to help Heathcliff when the frenzy had begun. The leader had been blown far away from the fight and was still struggling to get on his feet. Apparently the attack had froze the knights limbs with a paralysis debuff and they were on their way to help him, but Yuuna had halted when she saw the slaughter behind her.

"Sand, GO!" She had yelled as she brought forth a green antidote potion. "I'll heal him so HELP THEM!" It had been a command, not a request and without a thought, Sand had instantly turned and run back to the fight.. But he wouldn't get there in time!

"GOD DAMMIT!" Sand screamed as he saw in slow motion how the crude blade sliced down on the player

"Seeeii!" Out of nowhere came a dark coated player, wielding nothing but a lone sword as his weapon. His short raven-coloured hair stretched back as the figure leaped up in front of the targeted male. With blinding speed, he blocked the incoming blade with his own and pushed the wraith back on its heels.

A female voice cried out as Kirito dashed after it and aimed another blow at the base of it's neck, but was blocked by a reversed parry. The wraith spun around and stabbed with its left hand low as its right came in from the side. Kirito quickly jumped to the left to avoid the stab while he swiftly parried the other with the hilt of sword. The black-haired youth did not hesitate a single moment and he sprang into motion, his left hand shooting out and PUNCHED the wraith square in the face. Sand gasped as he approached the scene at high velocity. There was no doubt at all as recognised the unarmed move as the mid-level **Embracer** skill. Sand himself had only unlocked that particular skill two weeks ago, and was shocked that someone else had found the hut on the second floor and trained it to such a level. Still, it did not do much good as the boss' last HP bar only fell by 2 % but it did bring the boss back and gave Kirito some much needed space.

Sand had now rejoined the fray and was now standing beside the panting player who looked at him for a second before he nodded and gritted his teeth.

_Together_

Two black figures attacked together, one with short hair as black as night, one with long silvery strands that flowed wildly behind him. Three individuals prepared for battle, a pair of warriors facing a weapons master. But as the first blow fell, there was only two enemies on the field. Black and white formed a single union, attacking with such coordinated movements that even the wraith was hard pressed. It was two large blades versus one longsword and one dagger which, despite it being smaller than the other blades, compensated its disadvantage with the sheer speed it performed its attacks. The boss seemed to grow more and more frustrated as the warrior before it dodged and parried every blow it struck. Back and forth the enemies danced, exchanging blows and blades with equal ferocity. Sand's body worked seemingly on it's own, every turn and every move he made was another attack that pounded and stabbed against the boss. He darted low and sliced halfway through an exposed ankle, he jumped through the air and launched a barrage of kicks and stabs at the boss' head. He dodged almost every blow that came towards him and those he couldn't escape he ignored, knowing that his temporary partner would be there and block the blade. And when the wraith tried to block Sand's attacks, it was similarly assaulted by other half of its opponent. Kirito relied on his swords superior damage ratio compared to Sand's, and used his unarmed attacks to strike a hole in the wraiths defence where he could sink his blade. He blocked an incoming blow with his sword, ducked under another and used an opening created by Sand to cut a deep gash in the wraith's torso. Skills glowing yellow, blue, red, white and even gold sparked in the hall as the boss had no way of defending itself against the formidable ferocity and unity that the two players had formed.

"**Moon Crescent", "Axe Hammer", "Triangle Combo", "Spin Kick", "Rage Spike", "Vertical", "Horizontal", "Slant", "Embracer", "Uppercut", "Vertical Arc", "Flash Hit", "Double Thrust", **.. They unleashed everything they had against **Meszall The Ice Wraith**, the boss that had cost them so many lives and so much pain. Sand, not being held back by any stun effect that would follow a sword skill thanks to his choice of weapon, worked his right and left hand in a blur, switching his dagger between them and peppering the boss with sword skill with the rate of a semi-automatic rifle.

With a final effort, the formed warrior that surpassed even the weapons master let out a victorious roar and brought its weapons forward, one plunging straight through the chest just as the other one buried itself deep into the exposed throat. Shrieking one last time despite not having a functioning air pipe, the boss collapsed on the floor, weapons falling from its grasp whereby it exploded into sparkling multicoloured shards that rained down on the victorious warrior, now separated back into two players again.

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

Sand was about to say something to Kirito, but was suddenly assaulted by a light white and red figure that made him overbalance slightly before regaining his footing, now with Yuuna around his neck. Her thick coat, previously whirling out, settled down once again on her shoulders as well over Sands arms who pulled her close. Cheers erupted all around them as the few standing warriors and the handicapped players that had huddled at the walls raised their voices in victory. The pair did not hear any of it, so caught up in their intimate embrace.

"You did it!" Yuuna whispered into Sand's shoulder. "You did it..." Sand shook his head and hugged her stronger. "We did it!" he corrected and buried his own face in her slim neck. They had survived even this, the most challenging trial they had even encountered in this game of death.

Quiet drops of tears fell from his eyes and soaked Yuuna's coat. Eilage emerged from the surrounding crowd, walked up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey Sand?"

"Yeah?"

"Get a room, will ya?"

_**EPILOUGE:**_

As a reward for defeating the floor boss, the system had instantly removed all negative buffs and all HP bars had been refilled on the survivors. They were in front of the exit door, all of the victors, standing with their heads held high. Heathcliff walked forward towards the portal, then turned to face the remaining raiders. His face was a strange mixture between pride and sorrow and his eyebrows burrowed as he spoke out.

"My friends, this is a time for joy and I salute you all for your hard effort." He began slowly and spread his hands.

"We have overcome yet another obstacle that lies in our path and that is something worthy of praise." The knight began to pace in front of the door, looking everybody in the eye.

"But we must always remember our fallen comrades. Let us not forget those who have bravely given up their lives for our sake and departed from both this world and the real. Give thanks to those honourable souls who fought and died in our struggle towards freedom. And though they are no longer among us, they will always live and be remembered by us who survived. Let us give them a moment of silent prayer."

Everybody in the room bent their heads and muttered a low farewell to the departed spirits, praying for their safe journey into the next life. 14 lives had been lost this day, nine good and strong players that had survived all the hardships so far only to end their journey here.

Sand hoped they would find peace now, and be freed from any sadness and pain. He was standing beside Kirito in the front row, a honour spot given to those who played a vital part in bringing the boss down. A couple of players had protested when Heathcliff put Kirito in the honour spot, accusing him of being a "Beater" "LA stealer", " Dirty Cheater" and such insults. But the grateful players outnumbered the irritated ones, and Sand had actually walked over and simply hurled one man across the room to make him shut up. Shaken, but unharmed, the player had started to draw his blade but an ice cold glare from Sand stopped him in his tracks, so now Kirito remained, though he kept his head down.

Heathcliff spoke once again: "We must now continue our fight forward, and honour our fallen. It is time to advance, to strive forward and take our first step on the next floor" He gestured for Sand and Kirito to come forward and turned around. Following his lead, the pair walked forward and into the portal, out into the unknown.

* * *

Author note: Hello everyone! First, I would like to formally apologise for not updating for so long, but a combination of a lack of creativity, the ever so cruel writers block and Easter holidays filled with activities is hard to overcome. I hope I have somehow made it up to you with this chapter and I will continue with the story...

**RIGHT NOW! :D**

* * *

Sand sat on the ground with his legs crossed and his back leaning against a wooden wall with a dark cloak as a small softener. He was on the 22nd floors capital city, one week after the fight against the ice wraith, and was currently waiting for Yuuna to come out from the equipment store currently owned this week by Lisbeth. Yuuna had insisted that they would pay the smith a visit so she could run a maintenance check on her equipment.

Sand had reluctantly complied and here he was, occupying himself with a newly bought item.

The **Alchemy Table** he had just bought from an NPC vendor was not what a player might expect when they heard the name, mostly because it wasn't just one item but several that together Heck, it wasn't even a real table! In front of Sand, using nothing more than the current surface that was in this case the ground, was a lit wax candle with a peculiar shaped glass vial suspended over the small flame by a wooden tripod. Inside the vial was a green bubbling liquid, letting out tiny puffs of coloured smoke into the air. Standing beside the candle to the left was a small granite bowl used to grain various materials into fine powder. A medieval scale with little golden weights stood to the right. These items were all for show however, as the world of SAO simplified the method greatly. Surrounded by the unnecessary instruments was a small wooden tablet, an alchemical symbol in the shape of a hexagram with non-symmetrical runes carved into the hard wood. It was this item that interacted, analysed and transformed the materials into liquids and sometimes even crystals, but that was reserved for high level potion makers.

Sand opened his inventory and pulled out a scroll he had bought from Argo the Rat for a pretty hefty sum of Col. An old brown roll of paper held together by nothing more than a thick red ribbon. He untied the seal and unrolled the sheet who immediately exploded into small pixels. This was all as it should be, as his HUD now lit up and announced that a new potion recipe had been added to his archive.

Normally, he would've been forced to experiment with the few ingredients he currently possessed, hoping for a streak of luck that would transform the items into a potion. Argo, however, had been in the beta, and she had unlocked a list of recipes for potions that would replenish health, cure diseases or poison the consumer. She sold that knowledge, as everything else, quite expensively to any aspiring alchemists.

With that knowledge now available in his menu, Sand scanned through the recipe and produced the matching ingredients from his inventory which he placed on the tablet. He then placed his hands on either side of the wooden circle, initiating the transmutation process. The runes glowed as the ingredients' shape began to change, blending together into a cone-shaped vial filled with a purple substance. Sand eagerly watched the whole show before taking the potion and opened its lid whereby he tasted the liquid, eager to find out what the effect would be.

"_Oh god.."_

Sand was forced to bend over as the substance went down his throat and left a taste in his mouth so vile that it could only be described with the words "Disgusting as hell"

Coughing loudly, he somehow managed to materialize a water bottle from the menu. He drank most of the content in four huge gulps and gurgled the remaining liquid before he spat it out on the ground. Sand had to shake his head wildly from side to side and slap his cheek twice before he regained a small measure of self-control and could dismiss the now soaked **Alchemy Table **from the ground before he went through another series of convulsions and lost all his strength.

Yuuna chose this exact time to exit the equipment store. She walked out with a smile on her face, only to find Sand lying face down in the dirt with his arms and legs wide. The system enhanced his feelings, actually summoning a small black cloud above his head.

"Oii, Sand? You have to come and check this out that I..." She halted in mid-sentence as she saw the state he was in.

"Uhh..Sand, what on earth are you doing down there? Oi, Sand! Can you hear me?" She quickly crouched down by his side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Mmmphhmm..." The youth struggled to answer but the waves of nausea caught him before he could form any form of word and he quickly closed it before he would virtually throw up on the pavement. The cloud had now transformed into tiny yellow birds and colourful fireworks that traced a circle above his head, almost like some kind of twisted halo. His legs felt like spaghetti, his arms were like overcooked noodles, not responding to any command from the brain and his eyes were spinning. Had the potion messed up the connection between his real brain and his virtual body? He didn't dare to think about it. He didn't dare to think about anything at the moment actually.

Yuuna sighed, grabbed her downed partner and hauled Sand up so he could swing his useless arm around her neck and gain some support. Had it been the real world, she would've never succeeded, but her rather high STR-parameter did not care about such mundane rules.

Yuuna grumbled something about always choosing the wrong.. something.. as red-haired warrior half-carried and half-dragged the taller teenager to a nearby fountain where she heartlessly tossed his limp form into the water and retreated a few metres to avoid the following outbreak.

Sure enough, emerging from the clear water like a towering geyser came Sand, fully revived and very pissed.

"Yuuna, what the..BLARGHBLRR!" He tried to shout but suddenly a face of pure disgust struck his features and he dove right back into the water and remained there for at least three minutes, shaking his submerged head violently while Yuuna sat on a nearby bench, eating a piece of bread and pretending to be an innocent bystander in the small crowd that had stopped to view the strange event.

Finally rid of the foul taste and much cooler, Sand climbed out of the pool, water dripping from his clothes and long cloak, and shook his head once more, this time to remove most of the water from his drenched hair, whereby he stalked over to his partner.

"Just what the hell do you mean by throwing me into the pool, huh?!" He roared as he left a wet trail behind him.

Yuuna gave out a small "Eep! dropped her food to the ground and escaped his reaching hands by jumping up into a nearby tree.

"Come back here you!" Sand screamed and jumped towards her, but Yuuna had already made her second leap and had safely landed on the edge of the store's roof. Such a feat would've been impossible in the real world, but then again: one of the few positive things about being here was that the laws of nature could be broken and overcome.

"Now wait a minute!" She yelled down at him and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress her laughter from bubbling out. "Why are you angry? It worked, didn't it?!"

"No apologies!" Sand roared and ran straight as an arrow towards the wall and then defied gravity as he continued to run UP against the wall.

"Come here so I can repay the favour!" He leaped up and caught the ledge with one hand as the other grabbed for Yuuna's ankle. Realising his intent, Yuuna scrambled backwards and leaped over a narrow gap onto another roof.

"Yuuuna!" The furious ebony player was quick to follow, and thus creating a wild and violent form of tag with the rooftops acting as the course.

The pair ran at top speed, a white streak chasing a red, leaping from edge to edge and sailing over startled players that crowded the alleys. Yuuna never kept running in one direction for more than a few seconds. She knew that Sand had a greater AGI stat than her so her only advantage was her smaller avatar. Nimble as a cat, she leaped over a particular large gap, and then darted behind a chimney. Sand followed behind, now calmed down and only chasing her for the sheer thrill of jumping from building to building, feeling like a human with superpowers.

Yuuna used the chimney as a cover and ran straight away from it, keeping the brick structure in Sand's line of sight. So when the chasing player came around the chimney, he realised that she was already far away. Not giving up, he quickly picked up the pace and darted after.

Meanwhile, Yuuna ran along the edge of a restaurant when she spotted a cart of hay positioned near the structure. She instantly diverted her course, brought out her menu and toggled her **Hiding **to **Active** and with a leap of fate (Assassins Creed style FTW!) she dove into the hay.

Back on the rooftops, Sand had lost the track. He kept running around for a minute, checking every alley to see if she was there, but no sign of her.

_Where had she run off to?_

He couldn't see Yuuna anywhere, though he suspected she was lurking around somewhere close. Sighing, he surrendered.

"Alright Yuuna, you win! No hard feelings any more!" He shouted out, making a few people jerking their heads towards the abrupt yell. Yuuna heard the call as well, and emerged from the cart, full of hay and laughing loudly. She climbed back onto the roof where she received a light smack on her head before they together sprinted back to the equipment store.

"So here we are again." Sand noted as they dropped down in front of the door. "Why is that?"

Yuuna nudged him in the back and gestured for him to keep moving forward. "You'll see. Just go inside already stubborn" Sand shrugged and, prodded by Yuuna's finger, opened the door.

The interior of the shop was filled to the brim with shelves, desks, showcases, weapon racks, all displaying various kinds of armour and weapons.

Wooden furniture only for show was a rarity in here, since it clearly used the areas display capacity to the brim. Behind a large counter at the opposite wall sat a small girl with pink hair with her hands supporting her head and having a bored look on her face. She looked up however when the door slammed shut. He mouth opened slightly when she saw his ebony skin.

"W-, welcome, what can I get.. Wait, I recognise you! But from where...?.." She began as Sand made his way forward, pouting as he walked to the side, revealing Yuuna standing behind.

"Hi Lizbeth, sorry it took some time." She smiled at the smith as she walked forward to the counter. The pink-haired girls face lit up when the greeting came, and she abandoned her seat to join them in the store.

"Ah, Yuuna! Welcome back! It sure took some time for you to find your partner." She glanced at Sand who had leaned comfortably against a large weapon rack filled with ordinary looking maces and axes. Their eyes met for a brief second before she quickly turned away with a slight blush on her cheeks

"B-, but no matter! So, you still think he'll be as interested as you were?"

Yuuna just nodded. "I'm sure of it. Sand here is as much of a dagger enthusiast as I am. Or actually, I think I might've been contaminated by his spirit." She grinned and winked to the shorter girl who made a small "O" with her mouth.

"Wait, Sand? Eeeh, no that's right! Now I remember. You're the one who came from Argo and bought the **Silver Rondell** from me back on the first floow! The dark-elf player!"

Sand gave her a courteous bow. "That's me. Thanks again for the blade. It has saved my life on more than one occasion." He conjured the named dagger into his hand and threw it up in the air. "Though lately, I have been using this and it might need an upgrade in attack power." While the **Silver Rondell** was still airborne, he drew his **Ebony Dirk** from its sheath and made it join the silver blade in the air. Two streaks of black and white spun through the air and back down into his waiting hands, each caught on the tip with two fingers.

Lizbeth clapped her hands together. "Sure no problem, though I charge extra if I have to supply any crafting materials you don't already have." Yuuna suddenly coughed, and that seemed to remind Lizbeth of something.

"But before that, I may have something that might interest you." She walked over to a glass-covered case which she tapped with her finger and materialized some sort of leather item with metallic shards sticking out from within in two rows. She lifted the item and brought back to the pair.

"Here, take a look at this." She lay the item down on the counter for them to examine. "This is a "B**andoleer**", a sort of open pouch that will hold ten **Throwing Knives.**"

"Throwing knives?" Sand looked perplexed. "I though the only ranged weapon here was the throwing pic."

"Nah, you could say this is the upgraded version with more bite in it." Yuuna shot in with a smirk. "

Sand eyed her and grinned. "Lizbeth told you that earlier, didn't she?" The red-haired girl only responded with an innocent smile. Sand turned his attention back on the bandoleer, now very interested.

"How come I haven't heard of this before?" He was surprised that he hadn't heard about something like this before.

"Oh, they are not very popular since players usually focus only on close combat. And to use them, you have to have a throwing skill of **300**.

"That explains things. How is the range, compared to the throwing pic? The damage ratio? Carry weight? Are they upgradeable? Compatible skills? " He asked all his questions at once and almost overwhelmed the merchant, but Lizbeth stood her ground, having months of smithing knowledge at her disposal.

"Range is the same as the throwing pic, though I've heard it can be increased by upgrading your STR parameter and **Throwing** skill. Damage is twice of a throwing pic, but they seem to have balanced that by making it weigh 0.2 points compared to the weightless pics. They can indeed be sharpened, but only one time and not many consider it since they are often only usable one time. You must pick them up from the ground instead of receiving them back as loot and that can be tricky sometimes. However, if you own a bandoleer you can get extra knives from random drops if you fight against humanoid monsters."

"And your carry limit is not just 10 blades, but that is how many you can have equipped at the same time. And as far as the skills going, I think you can do pretty much every one, except those who throw multiple darts at the same time."

Sand only nodded and progressed the information through his head. That left out the **Triple Shot **and the **Shadow Shot**, but otherwise it should be fine. Actually, the **Shadow Shot** might still work. It was only two projectiles, but with one tailing the other. It might be possible to hurl one in each hand, but it's a long-shot. Still..

_This looks very promising_

"How much is it?"

"Oh, not much. 12'000 Col for the bag and the knives." Lizbeth announced casually. "If you want another bag, it's 10´000 more if you don't want the knives included. Otherwise, full price." The sum made Sand gasp but he quickly composed himself.

"Ehm, let me buy one and try it on before I decide if I want any more, ok? After a nod, he opened a trade window and purchased the bandoleer, emptying his wallet slightly.

The bag itself was not large, only one or two decimetre. Sand tried the different positions one could wear the accessory buy manipulating a 3D figure on his menu where he could drag and attach the piece on various locations. After trying out a few places, he finally settled on having it set on his upper right backside, just above the shoulder blade, so the knives would stick out slightly over his shoulder.

He tried drawing a dagger, a straight nine inch metal blade, and hurled it towards a wall. Straight as an arrow, the blade shot out with a streak of blue and hit the wood where it bounced right off, creating a small square sign signifying the surface as yet another immortal object in this town. Sand walked over and picked up the knife, past Yuuna who recognized the telltale signs of him being excited but not wanting it to show. A slight shudder in his eyebrows, eyes slightly widened Suddenly, Sand couldn't contain himself and with a sudden flash of mischief, he acted.

"Ok, enough thinking. LIZBETH! I WANT THREE MORE!" He proclaimed and smashed his hand against the counter.

"AH!" Lizbeth jumped at the sudden noise and was close to falling over her chair.. Sand didn't notice as he had already turned to Yuuna.

"And Yuuna, why didn't you say that these were for sale as soon as you came out from here the first time?!" Yuuna pouted and punched him on the arm to stop his assault.

"Because, some idiot had been knocked senseless by god knows what and was left on the curb. And then, after I helped the idiot, he started to chase me with evil intentions." She threw a wicked grin at him as Lizbeth, having somewhat recovered, gasped in shock and grabbed the counter for support as her mind quickly imagined what "evil intentions" meant.

"I-, it was not like that!" Sand quickly interjected with blushing cheeks that was thankfully concealed somewhat by his black skin.

"I would never..! And for the record, Yuuna! Nobody 'knocked me senseless' if that's what you think. It was just a small accident. Nothing to fuss over really"

Yuuna just waved her hand, having won the argument despite his interruption. "Whatever you say, partner. Now, you really want THREE more? Isn't it enough with only one more?"

Sand shook his head eagerly. "No, I'm certain of this. You know there are two motion where one can activate a throwing skill right? One is done by raising your arm over your shoulder as if you were throwing a simple rock. But the motion it will also work if you take a pic and move your arm so its positioned over your stomach and your hand is under your opposite shoulder." Yuuna nodded at this while Lizbeth looked slightly confused by the quick explanation, but then again she hadn't deemed it necessary to upgrade the **Throwing** skill. Sand continued.

"That's why I placed the first bandoleer on my shoulder. If I use the correct motion, I won't even have to make any excess movements to activate the skill! But that also means that if I can position my other two bandoleers above my belt, I can draw and throw the knives in one fluid motion, just like the shoulder shot." He grinned wider as the argument continued.

"Think about it! I'll have 40 daggers at my disposal. I'll be both a mid-ranged and close-ranged fighter at the same time! It'll be maybe twice as efficient to farm mobs with this!" His facial expression when he talked about the possibilities looked like a child who had just found out that he's going to candy land. The two girls could only exchange a tired glance and sigh.

_Men_

"So, that will be 48'000 col for the bandoleers, 4000 col for 20 extra knives, 3200 col for the sharpness upgrade on your dirk and another 9000 col for the repairs on your armour. Is there anything else you would like to purchase?" Lizbeth said with a hearty smile. This was probably her best trade of the whole day.

"No more.. " Sand clicked an button in his menu and a trade window appeared.

"Hey, don't stores usually give a discount if you buy stuff? Like three for the price of two, that kind of thing." Sand pleaded when he inserted the fine in the trade window. Lizbeth's face turned from gold into steel so fast that it was almost scary.

"No discounts!"

"ah-, alright, alright..." 64´200 col disappeared from his wallet and the items were added to his inventory. Sand quickly manipulated his 3D model and fastened his new dagger sheaths on their respective places. He was pleased to see that neither the dagger-handles on his back nor the ones on his hip interfered with his hooded cloak. Though he was still thinking about the possibilities about these new knives, he didn't forget his courtecy.

"Thank you very much" He bowed towards Lizbeth, who flinched and looked slightly lost. Yuuna smacked him on his back.

"Damnit, Sand. Stop doing awkward thing like that!" She didn't however quite manage to hide her amused smile at the smiths reaction.

The pair thanked Lizbeth again, and departed out on the street.

"Oh, come to think about it." Sand realised. "Why did you go into the shop in the first place? Did you buy anything else than a bandoleer?" He pointed to the dagger bag she had attached on her left hip. She nodded.

"Yeah, come on." She led him past the merchant area, through the plaza, past the teleportation gate and outside the city walls where she halted and began to tap on her invisible menu. However, she didn't equip anything. Instead, with a smile that made Sand shiver slightly for some reason, she pushed a button that was invisible to him, but he soon realised what it was.

**Player Yuuna Challenge You To A Duel. Accept? Yes / No**

Sand only sighed.

"So, I guess this has something to do with your visit?" She nodded.

"And I am to be your practice dummy?" Another nod.

"Ok, just wanted to know" He accepted and chose **First Strike Mode** so the winner would be declared by either landing a critical hit on your opponent or dropping his / her HP down to 50 %. A system message popped up, and a countdown started.

**60**

Sand walked a few steps back and eased himself into a fighting stance he used when he was training his unarmed skill. His right arm stretched out halfway towards his partner with the hand clenched into a fist while the other was closer to his stomach in defence. It was a pose where he could utilize almost all his martial arts move, simple yet effective. His dagger was still resting on his ankle, but Yuuna knew he could draw it in a split second. Meanwhile, she had taken out a thin cord which she tied around her forehead to keep her red hair from obscuring her sight.

**30**

Sand suddenly noticed that Yuuna didn't even wear her customary dagger sheath on her hip. Did she mean to take him on unarmed as well? That didn't make any sense.

**15**

Yuuna rapidly worked her menu and materialised something that was attached on her back, hidden under her long cloak.. Sand could not get a clear visual of what it was, no matter how hard he concentrated.

_She is hiding something_

**10**

The female warrior bent her knees and eased herself into a position that was familiar to Sand, only this time her hands did not hold any form of weapon.

Time slowed down as the counter approached zero.

**5**

Sand took a deep breath and moved his left hand closer to his body.

**4**

Yuuna locked his eyes with her own

**3**

Neither of them blinked.

**2**

The seasoned warriors blocked out any noise so the only thing they heard was their own slow breaths.

**1**

Silence. A small breeze blew through the area and brushed some leaves off the ground.

**0**

With a flash of movement, Sand spun around on the spot and rapidly threw two newly acquired knives at Yuuna, one drawn from his left hip and one from his right shoulder. Yuuna responded by ducking under the first blue streak of light and then roll to her left as the second blade pierced the ground where she had been just a moment before. With hands still holding nothing but air, Yuuna dashed forward towards Sand who met her charge, now with his dagger in his hand. Just before they collided, Yuuna moved her hands into her cloak and behind her back as Sand brought his weapon out and issued a **Double Thust.** His dagger would shoot out, pierce the target then retract and repeat the movement, all within a span of 0.8 seconds. It had a high critical chance if you hit the same spot twice, and was a excellent skill in PvP fights.

The system enhanced his actions as his right arm surged forward and stabbed the first blow.

"Clink!" Yuuna's hand shot out, now armed with her dagger, and intercepted the blow by swinging a rapid **Slant** to cancel his skill. However, her dagger kept going down as Sand's retracted and moved forward once more, rapidly approaching her side.

"Clink!" Sand jumped back in surprise as another dagger came into view! It was identical to the first, but Yuuna held it in her left time. Sand retreated back and stared at his partner. She stood in front of him, each hand holding a dagger in a practised grip.

"You..!" He stammerer out. Yuuna only showed him a wicked grin as she once more attacked. Now Sand was working furiously to keep up his defence from the combined rain of sword-skills and jabs, cuts and stabs she directed his way. He found himself parrying her blades more with his armoured wrist-guards than his weapon. Yuuna spun her daggers in devious circles, keeping him off balance. Sand gritted his teeth through the pain and caught her hand in mid-swing. He managed to land two quick **Verticals** before she shook him loose, but otherwise he was defenceless against her onslaught despite him being three levels higher.

Within the minute, his HP had been cut down bit by bit and left at exactly 50 percent.

**YUUNA HAVE DEFEATED SAND IN A DUEL**

**CONGRATULATIONS!**

"Haah, haah, haah" Yuuna breathed heavily as she stopped her barrage. She flipped her dagger over in her hands and put them back in their respective sheaths, placed in a cross on her back before she dropped down into the soft grass. Sand materialised a water bottle which he offered.

"The prize goes to the winner!" He declared and placed it in her hands. He meant every word he said.

It was his last bottle after all.

Yuuna gratefully accepted his gift and drank the content. Sand sat down beside her and waited patiently before he asked.

"Yuuna, that was dual-wielding." She wordlessly nodded her head as she poured the rest over her head.

"To use dual wielding with daggers, ones dagger skill must be 900." Sand continued and was awarded with another nod which splashed a few virtual drops on his face.

"So, exactly how many hours have you been grinding without telling me?"

"Heheh" She chuckled. "About one hour each day before you usually wake up all the way from when we were on the 15th floor." Sand slapped his palm against his head.

"Yuuna, that was months ago! What would you have done if you got yourself into trouble and I wouldn't be there to help?! "

Yuuna smiled at him. "Oh? I think somebody is jealous of still having his skill level on 750" She opened her inventory and materialised two more bottles, one for her and one for him.

"You wish." Was all the response she got as the bottle was yanked out from her hand.

* * *

Author Note: Yup, Yuuna can now dual-wield as is currently stronger than Sand, at least when they duel. :D Can't let the guy get all the glory, can I? She's one of the first to get her dagger skill to 900, except for maybe PoH. That guy is crazy! I'm thinking that Sand will eventually get dual-wield as well, but that will be later on so now she's the pairs main attack source while Sand is the more stealthy support class I guess. Anyway, see you all next time.

PS: Is there any changes or events you would like to see in any future chapter? If so, send me a message or review and i'll consider it

Peace out!


	9. Chapter 9 Union

Ok, here's the reason for a late update. I have one word for you. F.I.N.A.L.S! And anyone who say this is not a valid reason, you can literally shove a stick up you ass :)

EDIT: Minor fix in text about the floor level

* * *

Almost invisible streaks of soft light smiled down to the earth as a party of five people walked forward. Weapons drawn but held in a comfortable light grip, the players walked with the determination and the looks of seasoned warriors towards their goal, the recently discovered 34th floor dungeon.

"We're nearly there" One of them spoke as he looked at his map. Inside the dungeon waited the the boss of this floor, the 34th obstacle they had to overcome. However, its exact location was still not known but it was only a matter of time before it too would be found and scouted.

Suddenly, one of the warriors stopped, a lightly built male with a curved sword as his weapon of choice.

"Wait, everybody quiet!" The group immediately tensed and listened while they scanned the surrounding for any potential threats. Now when they all stood still, a faint sound of steel clashing against steel could be heard, along with an occasional familiar sound of swordskills activating. It came from the same direction as the group was headed

"C''mon! Someone over there might need our help!" The group bolted away, now with a pace twice as fast. The heavier tanks fell behind as the lighter, more agile fighters pulled ahead. They soon sighted the large entrance far away in which the dungeon resided.

"Wow." In front of them, across a small plain of maybe 30 metres, two figures were fighting with devastating power.

The approaching party felt their chins drop slightly as they saw the level of fighting expertise. One, slightly smaller figure with dark red hair was surprisingly wielding two daggers instead of one. Her small body was constantly on the move, a harpy with talons tempered in the heat of battle. The other a slim male, ebonyskinned with his white hair held up in a ponytail by a dark braided ribbon, a darkelf from the look of it. It was hard-pressed against her attacks, dodging whenever he could and using his single dagger and sometimes his metal bracers to block any incoming strike.

The girl crossed her blades with a wide X motion aimed for her opponents chest. He answered by blocking the first strike with a quick swipe with his dagger. Small sparks flew from the colliding metal as he leapt back to avoid the second. His left hand worked in a blur as he quickly threw two small metallic blades towards her. She ducked under the projectiles and followed up with a **Rage Spike **which made her rocket forward. The elf gritted his teeth and spun left while he send an outstretched arm down on her charging hand, and forcing it down towards the it was his turn to attack and he unleashed a rapid combo of punches and dagger swipes, each glowing with different lights. An uppercut connected with the back of one dagger as his other hand **Slanted** a low-left to high-right cut. The girl met his charge with steel and halted his dagger in its track. But the elf had other weapons at his disposal.

In a true karate fashion, his right leg shot almost straight up, pierced through her guard and nearly left a boot-print on the girls face. She only just managed to whip her head to the side and avoid being stomped, but the attack still nicked her chin and left her slightly disoriented. The elf jumped up and executed a butterfly kick which the red-haired girl ducked under. The sheer speed behind the sweeping kick actually made her coat and hair flow out to the side, following the foots trajectory. The girl aimed a double-thrust low towards the elf''s gut, but he crossed his arms in defence and caught the two blows with his gauntlets.

Suddenly, the small crowd gasped in surprise as the girls head shot forward and HEADBUTTED the elf, right in his face. His body actually left the ground as the force pushed him back a few feet. The elf followed along with the motion and used a hand-flip to land on his feet, his HP affected only the slightest by the attack unaided by the system. She jumped after and initiated a **Tornado Slash,** a high-level dagger skill where she used her two daggers and spun around with high velocity, tracing an endless barrage of horizontal skills towards the elf. He answered by dropping to the ground and use a low sweeping kick, a **Scythe Slice**, which knocked her feet away. He aimed another slash towards her but the girl managed to roll to the side.

But in a blink of an eye, the dark elf crouched low, dove into a shadow cast from a nearby tree and then _disappeared_**!**. Well, a keen eye might have noticed a darker form quickly sneak around the tree and carefully climb up, not making a sound. But the party had not been paying much attention for detail and the girl had briefly looked at the ground as she rolled away from his attacks. Now, as the party was completely focused on finding the missing warrior, she was crouching low in battle position, daggers held tightly in her hands as her eyes darted around in search of her opponent.

A small breeze moved through the area, the only thing audible with everyone being completely quiet and concentrated. Leaves rustled and a subtle chirps from a distant bird drifted towards them. Above the red-haired girls head came suddenly a dark form, diving down with dagger leading the way.

Though Sand was in an excellent position to use his favourite move, the **Fatal Stab, **he resisted in fear of depleting his opponents HP bar completely so he chose the less potent **Stab** instead.

Of course, the watching party did not know that fact. When the battle resumed, one tank shook his head out of the trance.

"Hey, we gotta help her! That mob's gonna kill her!"

As the party dashed towards the fighting duo, the descending darkelf grinned, oblivious of the approaching danger.

But the girl suddenly dropped and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding his blade.

Whether it had been a noise from above, a small rustle of leaves, the faint light from his blade or a small approaching shadow on the ground, the elf''s attack hit nothing but dirt. The girl came out of the roll and leaped back on her feet, but the elf was on her again, diving after her the second his feet touched the ground.

Suddenly, his left hand shot out and landed a glowing punch on the girls jaw. She reared back, briefly stunned, as the dark elf followed up with another sweeping kick that almost knocked her off balance. He jumped high up in the air where he spun forward and aimed a sweeping vertical kick towards the girls left shoulder. The red-haired female did not stagger however. In a flash, she twisted her upper body and drove her arms up, put both her daggers in the attacks trajectory and drove them into his exposed ankle.

"Gah!" The elf was unable to halt his momentum, and the daggers pierced halfway through his leg before he managed to strike the ground with his palms and heave himself back into the air and tackle the female. She toppled over from his superior weight. However, she managed to get both legs between them and swiftly kicked him back up in the air.

The elf was about to land and jump back into the fray, but was suddenly assaulted by a longsword, swung vertically towards his head. Acting on pure instinct, he bent his neck and saw the steel trace a lethal path millimetres from his face.

"Get him!" The man cried and stepped forward and launched another skill, a **Horizontal**, towards the elf who shouted out a surprised "Whoa!" and dove to the side.

Towards a waiting tank.

The player raised his shield and thrust it forward, intending to ram the nimble elf to the ground. The dark-elf however, had other plans. It caught the shield with both hands, used it as a leverage to jump up over the guard and land another swift **Stunning Blow** right in the players face. He fell back with the elf rolling forward and coming up in a crouched stance.

It looked around, now surrounded by four advancing players, all with weapons drawn. They were closing in fast, and the elf could do nothing but glare at them with his cold blue eyes.

"Wait a minute! What the fuck are you guys doing?!" Every face turned around toward the red-haired girl who now had recovered and stalked forward with weapons still drawn and an expression of cold rage that promised unending wrath and destruction.

A shudder crept down every spine. Even the mob had frozen at the sight if his earlier opponent. Then something unbelievable happened! The elf glanced around, still in a battle stance, opened his mouth

"Actually, I would like to know that too"

The whole party's jaws dropped to the ground.

"WHAAT?!"

-:-

"Aaahh, so that's why you guys suddenly attacked me." Sand breathed in relief as he slowly relaxed where they stood in a ring in front of the cave entrance. "Though that you were seriously going to kill me there". The party leader shifted uneasy.

"Umm, mister dark-elf san?..." Sand turned to him. "Hm? Oh, stop calling me elf already. Name's Sand,"

The man looked embarrassed. "Sand, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we cannot apologise enough for suddenly attacking you. Gods be praised that you were skilled enough to survive."

The man suddenly waved at his comrades, and on cue, they all dropped on their knees and bowed low with their heads to the ground.

"Please forgive us!"

"Maah, it's ok."Sand shrugged. " Really!" He continued as they began to argue. "You guys thought you were protecting a fair maiden from a vicious mob."

"Who are you calling a maiden, idiot?" Yuuna smacked him on the back.

With a slightly pained expression but a grin, Sand continued. "Oh ok. So as I was saying. "You were just rescuing this damsel in distress from.. OOF!" This time it was a hard punch in his stomach.

"A helpless princess MPH!..." THUD! Another punch and this time, Sand lost his breath for a moment. But he couldn't stop himself.

"Ha-, a lady in need of a knight in shining arm.." THUD! Sand toppled over and landed hard on the rough ground. The other players watched with a mix of confusion and amusement.

"Helping a female with a.."THUD! A hard kick hit him in the guts, and Sand raised his hands in defence.

"Aiding a capable warrior in battle..." THU...! Yuuna halted her clenched fist an inch from his body. Sand exhaled his held breath. It was worth the pain if he got to tease her, but damn! She could really pack a punch!

"I guess that's the best I can get from you.." Yuuna muttered and helped him back up on his feet.

"Aww, c'mon Yuuna. Don't be like that." Sand said and lay an arm around her neck, faking a grave injury. "What have we left if we give up our sense of humour?" She aimed a half-hearted blow his way, but with no real weight behind it.

Sand accepted the strike, and then continued, now aimed towards the party.

"Like I said. You thought you were all helping out Yuuna here and for that I am grateful. But next time you see someone fighting a humanoid, please take care and check its cursor." He pointed over his head where a green triangle was clearly visible. "But don't worry! All is forgiven." He finished and grinned at the group. Yuuna nodded her agreement and smiled for the first time towards the party.

"Just don't do it again" She added and crossed her arms over her chest. "I almost had him pinned down when you interrupted."

"Ah, actually about that" One of the tanks interjected, the same that had been punched in the face earlier. "It might be a bit rude to ask, but I'm curious" He took a breath. "What level are you two?" The tank looked at them both, from Sand's high-quality leather armour to Yuunas two dagger sheaths and to his own party members who stood beside him. Their gear was nowhere near as good as the pairs.

"Umm.." Sand thought for a second. "Yuuna, you levelled anything this week?

"Mhm" Yuuna answered and tilted her head. Sand was quiet for a second while he thought.

"Ah ok, so then I guess Yuuna is level 43 yes?" She nodded "And I'm currently level 45." He was surprised by their reaction.

"What?" He asked as one of the tank player spoke.

"45? You are not lying are you?"

"Why would I do that? Here, you want me to show my stats?" The tank declined his offer.

"Naah, it's just that.. Our highest levelled party member here.." he nodded to the leader "is level 39." He shook his head, seemingly to gather his thoughts.

"I figured you were strong, seeing how easy you handled us.. But still, we're supposed to be in the lead group! And here we find two players at least four levels higher than ourselves! Are you two beta testers?"

The pair raised their hands in defence. "No no, nothing like that I assure you." Sand truthfully replied.

"But.." The tank wanted to continue but was stopped by an outstretched hand.

"That's enough, Crest" The leader interrupted. "Even if they were beta testers, it still wouldn't matter. This only shows that we have been slacking too much recently."

The player called Crest bowed. "Sorry, Teryan." He nodded the Sand and Yuuna. "No offence."

"None taken" The ebony-skinned player replied.

"Well." Teryan spoke up. "We need to get going if we're ever going to catch up with the other clearers. It was very interesting to meet you both. Farewell."

Sand and Yuuna waved as the group departed and walked inside the dungeon. When they were gone, Yuuna turned to her partner.

"So, you up for a rematch?" Her hands itched closed to the dagger hilts.

Sand shook his head and sat down in the soft grass. "No, I don't think it would help. We've been at it for quite some time now and I still haven't won even once" His voice trailed away and you could see his mind drifting away.

Yuuna felt actually pretty exhausted after the duel, so she joined him on the ground, though she lay down completely and shut her eyes, using Sand's leg as a pillow.

"You know that if there's anything wrong, you can tell me" She spoke after a while, not opening her eyes. Sand slowly stroked his chin while regarding his partner.

"Hmm, ok. I've actually been looking over my stats recently, as well as what combat form I feel more at ease with by looking at the information section of the menu." He took a breath and Yuuna hummed slightly to make him continue.

"Turns out I have a 54 percent martial art use compared to a 29 percentage with a dagger and 17 percent using projectiles." She opened her eyes at this.

"Why does that matter?" She asked and regarded him with curiosity.

"It means I'm not even dealing out even half of my potential damage ratio. A kick or a punch is not as strong as a blade, since it has no edge. Problem is, if I want to increase my attack power I got to rely more on dagger skills but then I would have to abandon any combos with both unarmed and dagger attacks that I have worked so hard to master. Even during our duels, I found that your dagger skill was far superior to mine and the only way I could land a single attack was to make almost every blow an unarmed one. But it still wasn't enough!" Sand had to take a quick breath before continuing.

"The damage from a punch or a kick is minimal compared to a good dagger slash, and not to mention the ratio from a normal sword! I even had to use my hiding to gain any advantage over you, and you still avoided that!"

"Why don't you use two daggers like I do and kick the enemy then?" Yuuna put in. Sand shook his head. "No, it wouldn't work. I need at least one free hand to do a hand-flip and those are excellent if you want to escape from an attack. Damn it all!"

Sands upper body fell backwards and hit the ground hard in frustration.

"I'm scared Yuuna." He admitted and looked up towards the sky with hazy eyes.

"I'm scared that this is as strong as I can get." His partner eyed him with concern but he pressed on, glad to finally lay out his thoughts in the open.

"My martial art is what I'm best at, but the damage will not increase when you can't switch to higher level gear to gain more attack. And we're only on the 34th floor! Only a third of all the hundred floors are clearedso far! My dagger attacks will increase in strength while my other attacks will be stuck on this level. What will then happen to me? I've tried to use a more convenient style but it's no use! I'm left wide open for retaliations! The difference in damage will only increase as we go higher and the only thing I have then is my ability to hide, like some sort of coward!I don't want that! I want us to visit new floors together, fight to the very top. I want to free everyone!"

Silence followed his words as his voice faltered. His worries, his fears, were finally out in the open. No matter of what her reaction was, it sure was good to lighten his mind. Still, what would she think of him now? Will this be the end of their strange relationship? No, he didn't want it too! Oh god, please don't let it end like..."

"Baka!" A single word cut through the silence and tore him from his thoughts. Yuuna had rolled over without him noticing and was now viewing him with a stern look, hands acting as a cushion between her chin and his toned abs.

"Stupid elf, what the heck is this nonsense you are mumbling about? _Not being strong_my ass!" She emphasized her point by driving an elbow into his into his knee.

"Ouch! What the hell?! Why does that hurt so much? Isn't this game supposed to have pain nullification!?"

"Take it like a man!" Yuuna only shot back but she did remove her arm.

"Sand.:" She said quietly, chins now slightly red. "You are the strongest person I know. And I'm not just talking about skill parameters here, because at that you are weaker than me!" A small chuckle escaped Sand's lips at that point, but she promptly shut him up by covering his mouth with a hand.

"You are strong" She continued while looking him straight in the eye. "because you always continue fighting, not for yourself but for those who can't. Every day I watch you struggle towards our freedom, without complaints or regrets. And if my memory is not completely corrupted, I remember you almost single-handed beating a floor boss."

"That's only because Kirito-san.." Sand tried to interject but Yuuna pressed her hand tighter against his mouth.

"You inspire people, Sand. You make them try harder. I've never met someone like you.." She removed her hand and leaned closer. Sand was suddenly aware of just how close their faces were.

"Yuuna.." He mumbled as his face turned from black into a dark crimson.

"Don't talk, idiot.." She whispered and entwined her fingers into his. Her cheeks was a transcendence between normal skin colour and scarlet red.

"I.."

"Oh, shut up!" Yuuna lowered her head and placed her soft lips on his. She smiled inwardly as a hand gently stroked up her back to her shoulder and pulled her closer. She could feel his heartbeats vibrating through his chest and into hers. One last thought drifted through her mind before the embracing pair lost track of both space and time.

_Finally..._

**-:-**

It is a very beautiful thing, love that is. It is what binds two people together in an indestructible bond that will last through the ages. Nothing else is as important and together the individuals form a single unity, a complete being. They have each other, and could not ask for anything else because they are whole. Time cease to exist when you are in the arms of your beloved.

Therefore, both Sand and Yuuna were very surprised to see a large number of players when they slowly walked back towards the city with their arms wrapped around each others waist. Looking at the time, the pair realised that hours had passed without them noticing. But they did not care.

As they reached the city gates and watched the clearers depart one by one at the teleportation crystal, Yuuna saw a small speck of pink hair in the midst that she knew very well.

"Sand, follow me."

"Huh, why?"

"Just do it already." She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him with her into the crowd. Inside, she worked her way in between backs, around large armoured figures and over to her friend she noticed earlier. She did not say a word as she approached, Sand still in tow. He had drawn quite a few eyes on him in the process. Murmurs of "..darkelf.." "..boss.." "..ice.." flowed through the crowd but Sand ignored them and focused on the small female merchant who was currently using a small ornate hammer to upgrade a customers sword.

"Yo, Lizbeth" Yuuna called out when the smith was finished with her work and the equipment was returned to the owner. She looked up from her table and saw the pair..

"Hi Yuuna!" She waved and greeted them with a genuine smile as they walked forward. "Hello Sand."

"Lizbeth" Sand answered and gave her a short bow. What brings you out here?"

Lizbeth swung her hammer as she spoke, repairing yet another piece of equipment before returning it to the owner.

"Oh, what better place is there for a blacksmith to be than where all clearers walk by? I can't craft anything without a furnace but I can repair just about anything these guys bring back" She answered happily and nodded towards her line of waiting customers. Sand was bound to agree with her, though he was still a little confused about what they were actually here for. Yuuna however, waisted no time for chit-chat.

"Lizbeth, I-, no, We need you help." Both Lizbeth and Sand cocked their head at that statement.

"We **/ **You do?" They said at the same time.

"Mhm" Yuuna responded and crossed her arms. "We need something that can boost unarmed attacks. Do you have anything like that?"

The smith blinked and though to herself for a second as Sand could only look at his partner with admiration and gratefulness. He expressed a silent ' Thank You' by trailing a finger down her spine whereby she involuntarily smiled and nudged him in the side. Lizbeth shifted her attention from her thoughts and turned her head before eyeing the two warriors with curiosity.

"Did something happen between you two? I mean, you both seem.. different somehow.." Her voice trailed away as the pair only smiled even brighter and said nothing. The smith looked thoughtful for a moment, then she abruptly switched the topic back on track.

"Oh, never mind. So unarmed you say? Like spiked gloves or something" She turned to Sand, who looked at Yuuna, who gave an affirming nod?" Sand turned back towards Lizbeth.

"I've seen those things." He opened his inventory and equipped the discussed item. "Bought it to try its effectiveness. Problem is.." He flexed his fingers for them to see. "They won't allow the user to pull the fingers straight. And the damage boost is insignificant next to an ordinary glove when you take speed into the equation. They are twice the weight of leather." Lizbeth nodded while landing a hard blow with her hammer on a pair of gauntlets.

"Hmm, there are claw weapons in this game you know. How about switching to those?"

Sand shook his head. "Same problem there. And I would have to start from scratch then. Do you have anything that could affect the damage from a kick? I use those more than punches."

He looked at Lizbeth, hoping for her to give him an immediate answer but the smith said nothing for a long time except a few "Hello" and "Thank you, come again!" to her customers. Sand stood patiently beside Yuuna and waited for Lizbeth to say anything. Finally, after several complete trades, he was rewarded.

"Hmm, there might be a way. Might, mark my word. However, the thing I have in mind could require a high skill number so there is a chance that you will be unable to use them. What's your current skill level?"

"That won't be a problem." Sand replied. "I maxed it not too long ago." Lizbeth laughed at that, but quickly went silent when she realised he wasn't kidding.

"What? Wait, really? You've maxed a skill? Already?" She almost shouted at him. Sand could only shrug and grin sheepishly as she rained questions on him.

It was true that his skill level was abnormal, but if you consider that if it takes a sword on strike to fell a mob, and maybe three strikes for a dagger, then it takes six to eight strikes if you use the unarmed skill. A skill level depends on the number of times a player has used it in an attack so it is logical for someone that uses twice as many unarmed as armed skills to gain a high skill level early in the game. Sand had stubbornly chosen the skill that fitted him best over a skill that dealt more damage, with the argument that it only took him a bit longer to kill his opponent with less injuries.

He did have one more skill completed, much thanks to his preferred grinding technique consisting of leaping from tree to tree while hiding and use **Fatal Stab **on unsuspecting mobs while Yuuna fought below and acted as bait, but Sand chose to keep that piece of info between the two of them. No need to reveal all his tricks and let's be honest: He had an unfair headstart with that particular skill.

Yuuna seemed more than a little entertained by her reaction, and was now covering her mouth with her hand. But the ebonyskinned male felt that it was time to put an end to this.

"Alright, alright. Keep it down a bit will you..." He began but was suddenly aware of that, for some reason, the evening sun did not shine on him before he was interrupted by a firm voice

"What is this I hear about a maxed skill?"

Sand and Yuuna spun around and was met by the towering physics of Heathcliff, the one and only, leader of the guild Knights Of The Blood. His tall powerful frame cast an imposing shadow over the somewhat shorter Sand who slowly released the tension in his muscles as a spark of recognition glinted in the taller man's eyes.

"Oh? If it isn't the darkelf player who so magnificently killed the 21th boss and his partner. I don't believe we have properly introduced ourselves yet." He held out an armoured hand towards them. "Heathcliff, leader of Knights Of The Blood."

Sand made a quick facepalm. "Seriously, why is everybody calling me an elf now? I'm human damnit! I have round ears!" He sighed in defeat and accepted the outstretched hand.

"Sand, guildless"

"Yuuna, also guildless." The girl did not shake his hand, but kept her own close to her dagger hilts. There was something about this man that made her very wary. They were all inside the city walls, and therefore completely safe from harm, but the move still provided some comfort.

"Hoo, a rouge pair huh?" Heathcliff stroked his chin but suddenly seemed to remember something. "That's right. Lizbeth. Could you be so kind and repair this?" He drew his longsword and held it out to the smith, along with a large sum of col.

"Sure!" Lizbeth answered and took the sword with both hands before almost toppling over. "Ooh, heavy.." She muttered and hefted the weapon down on her working table. Heathcliff walked out of the line and faced the pair directly.

"And I suppose you have the dagger skill completed, since you use two." He looked at Yuuna who eyed him just as intensely before answering. "No, I have a bit left." Sand had made her swear that she wouldn't go outside early in the morning any more, so her progress was relatively slow. She had worked the last few weeks just to raise it a few points. But that was only natural, as the learning difficulty increased exponentially as the level got higher.

"Huh, which one of you is it then? And which skill if I may ask?" Heathcliff seemed very interested for some reason. Sand, who really didn't care now that Lizbeth so conveniently had screamed it out, raised a hand.

"I maxed the **Martial Arts** skill two weeks ago. You may not have heard about it since it's an extra skill." He added but Heathcliff only nodded in understatement.

"I see. Then what about the reward? What did you get?" Sand blinked

"Reward? What are you talking about?" Even Lizbeth had stopped her banging and was paying full attention to the conversation now, to some of the customers disdain.

"You didn't know?" Heathcliff raised an eyebrow. "If you max out a skill, there will always be some sort of reward to the player, be it a new weapon, a sword skill or something else, but it's bound to appear. And you've experienced none of that?"

"No.." Sand thought for a second. "How is it that you know so much about this?"

Heathcliff half-smiled knowingly. "That's because I have already been rewarded once." He took the now fully repaired sword back and walked away. Then he turned again. "You know, my guild are always on the lookout for strong people that fight towards freedom. I am sure that you two would fit in quite nicely. Until then, farewell." Heathcliff walked into the teleportation gate and disappeared with a bright blue flash.

Everybody left behind said nothing for a moment before Lizbeth realised she still had customers. "Waah, sorry to have kept you waiting!" She began to frantically hammer the equipment to make up for lost time. "Sand, Yuuna. I must get on with this so I'll PM you later when I know if I can help with your problem!"

Yuuna waved at her. "Alright, see you later!"

She renewed her walking pace, Sand beside her, hands in the pockets of his dark coat.

"Sand, could you turn off your hiding at least when we're in a city. It feels like I'm walking beside a ghost here." Yuuna complained and shook her head slightly.

"Aah, sorry. My bad." Sand now noticed that his soft leather boots weren't making a sound as he moved along the stone pavement, another positive thing about having maxed hiding. He quickly turned his skill off, and suddenly his footsteps were audible along with the slight shuffling sounds from his coat.

Now that he thought about it, his footsteps had only became quiet after he had maxed his **Hiding** skill. That could be the reward actually so maybe Heathcliff was right. One thing was certain however, and it required his immediate attention. He turned his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, guess what."

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

**-:-**

"Uaah, I needed that.." Sand sighed and leaned back in his restaurant chair. He had almost completely cleaned his plate in record time while his partner had barely began. Yuuna smiled and sipped her glass of wine as she looked out the window where the rain was hammering the streets.

"You know that hunger is only a simulated feeling in here right?" She asked him and used her fork to hold a potato in place while her other hand sliced through it with a knife.

"That may be, but I cannot work on an empty stomach, be it virtual or not." Sand replied and swallowed the last drops in his glass.

He then proceeded with clearing his side of the table and bringing forth his alchemy table. Yuuna watched him with one eye while he fiddled with ingredients, combining this and breaking down that to create potions with various colours.

"Your skill has improved somewhat" She noted as he carefully tasted one of the phials. "You didn't throw up this time or even frowned."

"I know right? This is not very potent yet though.. It'll only heal about 800 HP points in three seconds..." Sand's face showed a mixture of pride and disappointment. "Oh well, nothing to do but keep trying I guess.." His voice trailed away as he resumed his work. Yuuna took a bottle in her hand and examined the content, a black substance with bright grey swirls flowing around inside.

"Can I try one?" Sand waved for her to continue without tearing his eyes from his work. Yuuna unscrewed the cork and sipped the liquid.

She couldn't taste anything.

She frowned and took another sip.

Still nothing.

Now irritated, Yuuna took the phial and emptied the whole content down her throat.

_Nothing..wait! What the..?_

Suddenly, her vision went blurry for a second and HP bar began to act all crazy. A small icon blinked blinked beside it, too rapidly for her to identify it. Her system menu also brought up a seemingly endless stream of messages who all read: **HARRASMENT WARNING! DO YOU WISH TO TRANSPORT PLAYER SAND TO PRISON? YES / NO**

Yuuna rapidly began declining them. "Uuh, Sand.." She asked tentatively.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you are making health potions right now?"

"Of course I'm sure." Sand looked at her with curious eyes. "Why?"

Without saying a word, Yuuna made her screen visible and flipped it around for him to read. He leaned forward and you could see his eyes widen with every word.

"WHAT?! What is this?! Why would the system..? Wait, what colour was the potion? Did it taste anything? Was it green?"

Yuuna nodded. Sand quickly grabbed her hand. "What about you HP bar? Is it decreasing?! Yuuna, please. I must know!"

Yuuna pulled her hand out of his grip. "Hey, take it easy. My HP is full, but there's a small annoying icon flashing next to it." Sand sat down again and sighed in relief.

"Phew, thank god for safe zones, because that wasn't a health potion you drank."

"No shit."

"Yuuna, it was poison. One of my more potent one sadly." Sand looked somewhat ashamed.

Yuuna looked at him, surprised. "What? You're making poisons? I though you wanted to create strong health potions and antidotes."

"I.. Yes, that is what I aim for. But you see.. I don't always have the materials to make a health-potion and.. the alchemy skill will rise no matter what you create so.. well you get the picture. The potion quality also have an impact on my skill level, so I maximize the potency."

"How-, How strong are they?" Yuuna asked. Sand looked her straight in the eye before turning his gaze down towards the floor.

"They will take away about 1600 HP in ten seconds, ignoring your **Battle Healing** completely."

"That much?!"

"Don't give me that look. I don't use them. I either destroy them or break them down for new ingredients the minute I create them." Sand took another green phial and showed her. She looked at his hands manipulating the instruments and creating a fine powder from the liquid by boiling it rapidly.

"I just thought of something. Can you make paralyze poison?" Sand's movements halted and he looked up with his head tilted to the side.

"You know what, I've never tried before. Lemme try and make one.." He began scrolling through his inventory while mumbling... "Hmm, it should probably contain at least one _Snowdrop flower_ for the freezing effect. Then maybe... a _Centipede Shell_? Why not. And for the last one, _Essence powder_ should work if it's a poison.."

"Ok, here goes!" Sand went through the crafting procedure and soon a medium-sized phial filled with a clear green liquid rested on the tablet.

"Well?" Yuuna leaned forward. "You're the one with the skill. What does it do?"

"Hang on, let me check.. Uuh, oh that's quite good actually. '**Will paralyze living object up to level 20 for ten seconds..** Not bad for my first time, eh?" He noted merrily.

"Good, we can try it out tomorrow.." Yuuna's voice trailed away in a yawn.

"Should we call it a day?" Sand suggested and stored away the bottle along with his alchemy table. "The rooms are quite expensive here I've heard, but very comfortable."

"Mm.." She sleepily agreed. The pair rose and made their way through the restaurant part and to the counter where they paid for two rooms on the second floor, one across the hall of the other. They walked up the wooden stair and over to their respective doors.

"Well, good night Yuuna..."

"Good night Sand.." Sand felt his heart skip a beat as she gave him a tired smile and closed her door. He closed his own and went over to his bed and ex-quipped his coat, tunic and pants, leaving him standing in nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts.

"See you tomorrow.." He muttered and settled himself under the warm cover, lying on his back with his hands tucked under the pillow. Sand's eyes closed slowly and his mind slowly drifted away into the wasteland of dreams...

"Flash!" "CRACK!" A lightning-bolt lit suddenly streaked across the sky and lit the room. Sand flew up with his hands cocked into a fist, ready to fight any intruder. He then realised what the disturbance was, and slowly lowered his guard.

_Relax. No outsider can enter through a locked door.. _He scolded himself and lay down again, gradually going back to sleep.

"...Sand..are you awake..?"

Sand drowsily opened his eyes as a soft voice pierced into his comfortable cocoon of sleep. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark light, but when they did, he was fully awake in the blink of an eye!

Standing at the door, dressed in a white night-gown and holding a pillow was Yuuna, the moon dimly revealing her features.

_So beautiful.._

"Yuuna? Wh...what are you..?" Sand stammered and she blushed slightly.

"I.. Could.. Could I stay with you tonight?" She stammered and hugged the pillow tighter. Another bolt banged outside and she flinched at the sound. Sand wordlessly nodded and she slid in under the cover and lay down beside him. He was suddenly very uncomfortable and shifted his position slightly to the side. He glanced at the beautiful girl, lying beside him with her eyes fixed on the ceiling. But then a third bolt cracked, the loudest so far, and she closed her eyes in fear.

"I don't like thunder.." She whispered. Sand carefully placed his hand around hers and squeezed slightly.

"It's alright" He whispered and suddenly, the next thing he knew, she was resting in his arms.

"Don't leave me alone. Never again!" She whispered to him. "This world, I sometimes forget that this is a prison during daytime. But every night, I'm remember my family on the other side.. I miss them so much..." Her voice trailed away was replaced by tiny sobs.

"Hey, hey.." Sand shushed her and hugged her tighter. He stroked a curl of hair from her face "I will never leave you Yuuna, even if a hundred bosses stand between us." She let out a small joyous sound at that, and looked up.

"Me neither. I wand to be with you. Always.."

"It's a promise" Sand agreed and kissed her softly. "Now sleep, oh capable warrior"

"..baka elf.." Yuuna mumbled as her tensed muscles finally relaxed and the couple fell asleep, still locked in their warm embrace.

And though lightning continued to rage through the night, Yuuna did not stir even once from her peaceful rest.


End file.
